![\"SMF-Logo_Primary_RGB_Colour\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/SMF-Logo_Primary_RGB_Colour-scaled.jpg\" "\\"SMF-Logo_Primary_RGB_Colour\\""){kind=logo}
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tThe Susan McKinnon Foundation was established in 2015 by Sophie Oh and Grant Rule to make a positive and enduring contribution to the Australian community. The Foundation is named after Grant’s mother, who instils the values of service and positive contribution in those around her.<\/p>\n
Starting from nothing, Grant built Australia’s largest SMS technology business. Following the billion-dollar sale of that business in 2021, Sophie and Grant committed the majority of their wealth to philanthropy and expanded the Foundation.<\/p>\n
Drawing upon their own experiences working in the public and private sectors, Sophie and Grant decided the best way to make a lasting difference to Australia was to help to enhance the capability and effectiveness of our democratic institutions and government.<\/p>\n
Sophie and Grant believe that through smarter decision making, improved policy development and better service delivery, governments at all levels in Australia can create a society that is fairer, more prosperous, and has greater opportunity for all.<\/p>\n
Through the Foundation we incubate, deliver and support practical improvements to help Australia achieve a more fit-for-purpose political, policy and service delivery system. We work with Australians from each part of the political spectrum – parliamentarians, public service leaders, policy influencers and everyday citizens.<\/p>\n
At present the Foundation’s major funding and partnering initiatives include The McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership, the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership, and the e61 Institute amongst others.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t The University of Melbourne is a global leader in higher education where brilliant minds come together to address important questions and tackle grand challenges. We equip our students with a future-facing education personalised around their ambitions, enriched by global perspectives and embedded in a collaborative research culture.<\/p>\n As active citizens and future leaders, they represent our greatest contribution to the world. We engage our communities to ensure that education and research is inspired by need and for the benefit of society. In this, we remain true to our purpose and will fulfil our mission as a public-spirited institution dedicated to the principles of fairness, equality and excellence in everything we do.<\/p>\n\t The McKinnon Prize recognises political leaders from all levels of government who have driven positive impact through their vision, collaboration, courage and ethical behaviour.<\/p>\n The McKinnon Prize now recognises outstanding Australian political leaders in three categories:<\/p>\n\tMcKinnon Political Leader of the Year – Federal<\/strong> <\/p>\n The McKinnon Prize is awarded each year from a pool of nominations through a rigorous and transparent selection process. The McKinnon Prize is judged by a unique panel of prominent and accomplished Australians representing the breadth of the political spectrum.<\/p>\n\t\t Nominations are received in three prize categories from October. These nominations span federal, state, territory and local government and reflect major parties, minor parties and independents.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a> about how you can nominate.<\/p>\n\t\t Eligible nominations are then evaluated by a diverse Shortlisting Committee that determines a shortlist for each Prize category. Shortlisting occurs in late January \/ early February the following year.<\/p>\n\t\t An expert Selection Panel later convenes to determine the recipients for each Prize category.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a> about the Selection Panel.<\/p>\n\t\t Recipients are announced shortly after selection and are recognised at an annual event celebrating their leadership and contribution to Australia.<\/p>\n The leader recognised as the McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year is also eligible for a $20,000 scholarship to further their education and professional development in public service.<\/p>\n Read more<\/a> about past recipients.<\/p>\n In each prize category, nominations are evaluated by the Shortlisting Committee and then the Selection Panel, against the same criteria.<\/p>\n The criteria ensure leaders are recognised for the right reasons.<\/p>\n\t The criteria reflect a leader’s ability to put their country’s needs first, their vision, and their capacity to collaborate and embrace non-partisanship to deliver positive outcomes.<\/p>\n\t The McKinnon Prize criteria are:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVision\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCollaboration\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEthical Behaviour\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourage\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImpact\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tVision\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The nominee has demonstrated innovative, farsighted, and practical thinking to identify and resolve important public policy problems.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCollaboration\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The nominee has built coalitions to achieve positive outcomes across and beyond partisan divides.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEthical Behaviour\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The nominee has exhibited honesty, integrity, respect and compassion through a standard of conduct and behaviour that inspires public confidence.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCourage\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The nominee has shown bravery to stand up for a worthy principle for the greater good, overcoming formidable opposition or sectional interests, regardless of risks to their own career advancement.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tImpact\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The nominee has demonstrably advanced the public good.<\/p>\n Leaders work collaboratively to pursue their vision for Australia; leaders build trust; leaders inspire others; leaders contribute to quality policy and quality governance.<\/p>\n\t The McKinnon Prize was first awarded in 2017, and until 2022 was awarded in two categories. In 2023, for the first time, three Prize categories will be awarded: McKinnon Political Leader of the Year- Federal, McKinnon Political Leader of the Year- State\/Territory, and McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2023\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2022\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2021\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2020\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2019\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2018\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2017\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2023\n\t\n \t Senator David Pocock of the ACT has been named McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2023 for his values-driven approach to handling his balance of power position in the Senate and commitment to genuinely listening to and appraising competing perspectives.\u202f\u202fSenator Pocock was also shortlisted in 2022 for McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year.\u00a0 Senator Pocock has made a serious impact on Australian politics in an impressively short period of time. The Selection Panel was impressed by his articulation of a new kind of collaborative politics, and his dedication to these principles in practice.\u202fThey particularly noted his effective use of his position on the Senate crossbench to pursue a broader vision for the community as a whole, rather than a relative narrow set of goals, or a solely partisan focus. The Panel also agreed his continued leadership and behaviour has shown alignment with the wider values of the Prize.\u00a0\u00a0 In a short period of time, Senator Pocock has achieved considerable legislative impact, from climate change and emissions reduction to government integrity, industrial relations, cost of living, and supporting the most disadvantaged. He has demonstrated he is able to work across the political divide to secure changes to important Government…<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Bridget Archer MP, Federal Member for Bass, has been named the 2023 Federal Political Leader of the Year for consistently demonstrating rare courage in standing up for her principles and the interests of her constituents, even when this has put her at odds with her party. Bridget Archer was also shortlisted in 2022 for McKinnon Political Leader of the Year.\u00a0 Bridget Archer has garnered a reputation for being an MP who always puts her conscience first, unafraid to speak out against perceived injustice, including in the context of her own political party. Her cooperative leadership style has seen her rise quickly in the public eye. Archer’s local focus and dedication to the people of northern Tasmania has been rewarded by a landmark re-election in the most marginal seat in Australia, the first MP to do so in 20 years.\u00a0\u00a0 The Selection Panel collectively acknowledged that Bridget Archer’s local election success in her marginal seat was demonstrative of the high esteem she was held in by her community. They agreed that she consistently demonstrated her principled approach as a politician, and that her\u00a0leadership style was unique in that she had shown a genuine and ongoing commitment to working on reforms to…<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Watch the 2022 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2022\n\t\n \t Senator the Hon Penny Wong has been named the 2022 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for her swift progress in re-setting Australia’s foreign policy agenda and restoring important bilateral relationships in a challenging geopolitical environment. Senator Wong is the only recipient to have been recognised twice, having been named the 2018 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Dr Helen Haines MP has been named the 2022 McKinnon Emerging Leader of the Year for her commitment to integrity in politics, her dedication to serving her electorate and her considerable impact as a “community-driven” leader on the national stage.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2021\n\t\n \t The Hon Tony Smith MP was awarded the 2021 McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership for his work in consistently and impactfully upholding parliamentary standards and ensuring bipartisan accountability within the parliament.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Mayor Teresa Harding was named the 2021 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her work in improving transparency and public accountability in political institutions.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Watch the 2021 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2020\n\t\n \t The Hon Greg Hunt MP was named the 2020 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for his leadership in spearheading Australia’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Dr Anne Aly MP was named the 2020 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year. She was recognised for her work in advocating to reduce violence against women and children and exposing extremist groups to greater government scrutiny. <\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Watch the 2020 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2019\n\t\n \t Premier Gladys Berejiklian was named the McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for 2019. She was recognised for in her role as Premier and for her outstanding leadership of New South Wales. This was reflected in her balanced and empathetic handling of reproductive health reform, a strong economic and budget position, and record infrastructure expenditure.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Lord Mayor Sally Capp was named the 2019 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her outstanding leadership of the Melbourne City Council. In particular, she was noted for her stabilising presence in Town Hall, where she has fostered a high degree of consensus among councillors for advancing an impactful policy agenda. <\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Watch the 2019 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2018\n\t\n \t Senator Penny Wong was named the 2018 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for her leadership and advocacy in promoting a more tolerant and inclusive Australia and for shaping Australia’s foreign policy dialogue.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Senator Jordon Steele-John was named the 2018 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for his outstanding leadership on disability advocacy.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Watch the 2018 recipients of the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership discuss their work and the role of political leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2017\n\t\n \t Senator Dean Smith was named the 2017 McKinnon Political Leader of the Year for tackling vital issues of public policy, overcoming adversity and achieving real change for the public good.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\n \t Councillor Vonda Malone was named the 2017 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her outstanding leadership as Mayor of Torres Shire Council.<\/p>\n \tRead More ><\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"McKinnonPrizePage_UoM\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/McKinnonPrizePage_UoM.jpg\" "\\"McKinnonPrizePage_UoM\\"")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\tThe prize\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\nRecognises the leadership of long-serving federal elected representatives with over five years in elected office.\nMcKinnon Political Leader of the Year – State\/Territory<\/strong>
\nRecognises the leadership of long-serving State or Territory elected representatives with over five years in elected office.\nMcKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year<\/strong>
\nRecognises the leadership of recently elected representatives, with less than five years in federal, state\/territory or local office.\n\n\t\tThe process\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
Nomination OCTOBER\/ NOVEMBER<\/h3>
Shortlisting JANUARY\/ FEBRUARY<\/h3>
Selection FEBRUARY\/ MARCH<\/h3>
Recipients Announced MARCH<\/h3>
\n\t\tPrize criteria\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tRecipients\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/WIN-013_DavidPocock-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Senator David Pocock<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/WIN-011_BridgetArcher-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Bridget Archer MP<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year – Federal\n \t
![](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/play-button.png\"\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/NOM-006_PennyWong-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Senator the Hon Penny Wong<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/NOMEMERGE-002_HelenHaines-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Dr Helen Haines MP<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-001_TonySmith-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n The Hon Tony Smith MP<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2021\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-002_ThereseHarding-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Mayor Teresa Harding<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2021\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-003_GregHunt-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n The Hon Greg Hunt MP<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2020\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-004_AnnAly-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Dr Anne Aly MP<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2020\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-005_GladysBerejiklian-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Premier Gladys Berejiklian<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2019\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-006_SallyCapp-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Lord Mayor Sally Capp<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2019\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-007_PennyWong-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Senator Penny Wong<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2018\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-008_JordanSteeleJohn-1-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Senator Jordon Steele-John<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2018\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-009_DeanSmith-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Senator Dean Smith<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Political Leader of the Year 2017\n \t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mckinnonprize.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/WIN-010_VondaMalone-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n Councillor Vonda Malone<\/a><\/h2>\n McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year 2017\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t