Independent MP Allegra Spender ‘willing to work with anyone’ in a hung parliament

Teal independent Allegra Spender has declared she is willing to “work with anyone” if there is a hung parliament after the next election.

The comments by Ms Spender — who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Wentworth in 2022 — effectively confirm she would be willing to work with Labor in a minority government.

Ms Spender said her decision would depend on the number of seats held by Labor and the Coalition, and then come down to what she could secure in talks with both sides.

She also believes a minority parliament could be a “route to fixing” a broken political system, she told the National Press Club in a wide-ranging address on Wednesday.

“We just have to look at the numbers. Let’s start with the numbers and then start with the negotiation,” Ms Spender said.

She wanted to know what each side could offer on three key issues: increasing economic growth, reducing “inter-generational equity” and climate policy.

“I am clear, I will work with anyone ... in a minority parliament. We don’t know what a parliament next time might look at. It starts with what are the numbers, what are the situations and what you can negotiate,” Ms Spender said.

The previous independent member for Wentworth was Kerryn Phelps, who was defeated by Liberal Dave Sharma in 2019 after just seven months.

Polls currently show the next Federal election — which must be held by mid-May — a virtual dead-heat with a minority government a strong possibility. This would put the crossbench, including the six independents elected in 2022, in the balance of power.

Labor currently holds 78 seats, just two more than needed to form a majority.

Ms Spender ahead of the 2022 election would not rule out supporting a minority Labor proposition.

She also said WA’s GST deal — which guarantees the State gets 70 cents in the dollar for its GST share, rising to 75 cents from 2025 — should be “on the table” at an upcoming Productivity Commission review in 2026.

Asked if it was right that State governments received GST with “no strings attached”, the independent said the Federal Government was failing to hold States “accountable”.

“I suggest that (Productivity Commission) review should be wide-ranging and looking at what are the structures. Do we have that division right between the States? Are we holding the States accountable for that money?” Ms Spender said.

“In many cases, I don’t think we are doing that.

“Those issues should be on the table and there should be no guarantee that the States get every dollar in that area as well.”

Following reports that some in the Liberal Party’s moderate faction were looking to recruit her to their party room, Ms Spender said she had no interest in joining the Coalition.

“I am a very happy community independent, you might have noticed that,” she said.

“I am sincere, we have had 20 years of a slow-motion car crash on some major economic issues and politics, as usual, has not fixed them.

“That is why I am in politics, to fix that. I have much more freedom to do that as an independent than I would as some Liberal safe backbencher.”

Asked if the offer of a cabinet position could win her over she replied, “This is not a negotiation I’m entering into”.

Ms Spender was among the candidates at the last election to receive backing from Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court, whose organisation splashed out millions in the campaign.

But she hit back at the “continual insinuation” he was pulling her strings from behind the scenes.

“I think (it) is insulting to me and it is insulting to women around Australia who are saying we make up our own minds,” she said.

Ms Spender also confirmed she had asked the Australian Financial Review to remove the millionaire philanthropist from a list of the 10 most “covertly powerful” people in Australia.

“I have a problem with this idea that women like myself get here and there is someone covertly hiding behind us pulling all the strings,” she said.

Ms Spender highlighted that she had voted for bills put forward by the Coalition 56 per cent of the time, for Labor bills 50 per cent of the time and in support of Greens-backed legislation 49 per cent of the time.