Do we like Allegra Spender?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Her votes line up with LGBTQ+ rights, climate and refugees, with one contested position on Gaza and a thin record on how she treats staff.
Spender comes from a famous political and fashion family: her mother was designer Carla Zampatti and her father was former North Sydney Liberal MP John Spender. She won Wentworth in 2022 as a centrist independent, running on local issues, climate action, tax reform and a federal integrity commission. She said then that she wouldn't pursue a coalition with anyone, and she's held the seat since.
The big stoush of her last term was about her, not by her. About 47,000 anonymous pamphlets headed “Allegra Spender Exposed” landed in Wentworth before the 2025 election. The AEC alleges they carried no authorisation details, and it took the matter to the Federal Court. Spender called the claims “false, misleading and offensive” and left the court to decide. She was the target of that campaign, and the AEC has said the person responsible has no links to parties or candidates.
On the harm test she looks good on paper. In 2022 she promised to champion LGBTI concerns, including equality and protection from discrimination. They Vote For You has her consistently voting for transgender rights and protections, for removing religious exemptions to LGBTI discrimination, for criminalising hate speech and hate symbols, and for abortion access. Her climate record is just as steady: Paris, the 1.5 degree target and renewables investment.
Gaza is where it gets contested. In 2024 she signed a letter with other teal MPs asking the government to restore aid to Gaza, either through UNRWA or another channel. Courage to Care NSW then pulled her from a speaking slot, and the Jewish Independent's editorial called that a mistake. They Vote For You also has her consistently voting against calls for a ceasefire. Where you land depends on whether you read her as a humanitarian moderate or as dodging a harder line.
Her recent news is mostly about politics rather than scandal. The new party has four pillars: economic management, climate action, equality and integrity. She also took heat over tax: she made a Treasury submission arguing the capital gains carve-out for startups was too complex and would put off repeat founders and investors. Whether that is principled caution or a backflip depends on who you ask, and it's a fight over policy, not character.
So: a sensible, centrist, business-minded independent who consistently votes the way a LGBTQ+ household would want. Her contested spots are Gaza, a few economic votes and some tax manoeuvring. We found nothing nasty in her own words or in the company she keeps.