My husband Grant Rule and I both come from humble beginnings. Grant was raised by a single mother on the pension, while I grew up in a newly arrived migrant family where English was not our first language. We both remember financial strain in our childhoods. Yet, in those modest homes, we were surrounded by love, stability and hard work. That nurturing environment gave us the confidence and opportunity to strive and to build lives that neither of us could have imagined as children.

Today, our family has a blessed life. With that good fortune comes a sense of responsibility. We believe Australia must renew its commitment to opportunity, that future generations must be given the chance to grow up in conditions that allow them to flourish regardless of where they begin. We didn’t create McKinnon just to talk about democratic principles in a theoretical sense. Our starting point was much simpler: a desire to help foster a country that allows its people to succeed.

Rather than hoard our personal wealth, we chose to direct it towards improving our systems of policy-making, government and democracy. We believe that when those systems work well, the benefits of capable and rational government flow to everyone. Strong institutions and effective leadership are not luxuries, they are the foundation of a society where people can live rich, fulfilling lives.

In our view, lasting impact requires action on several fronts. It means investing in those who make decisions about Australia’s future, our political leaders, and ensuring they are equipped with the skills, training and support to serve with impact. It means creating opportunities for more constructive dialogue about the kind of leadership Australia wants and deserves. It means fostering healthy democratic contests where debates are conducted respectfully, where talented Australians feel inspired to serve as politicians, public servants or community leaders, and where citizens are engaged and trust their public institutions.

The McKinnon Prize for Political Leadership, to be awarded this week,  is central to the Foundation’s mission because it shines a light on what good leadership looks like in practice. By celebrating leaders who demonstrate integrity, courage, and a genuine commitment to the public good, the Prize helps shift the narrative away from cynicism and towards aspiration. It shows that politics can deliver positive change, inspire leaders to aim higher, and build public confidence that capable, principled leadership is both possible and worth pursuing.

 McKinnon’s work is focussed on building institutions that are highly capable, respected and effective at delivering services to the public. And it requires cultivating an ecosystem both inside and outside government that stimulates innovation, reforms and productivity, so that Australia stays competitive.

 Our aim has never been to dictate outcomes. It has been to strengthen the systems and institutions that carry out the will of the Australian people, so that the governments they elect are better able to deliver on their commitments.

Since we founded the McKinnon Foundation, named in honour of Grant’s mother, we have been encouraged by the calibre of people and organisations willing to work with us - from public servants to universities, from community leaders to policymakers. Together, we share a commitment to assist governments and politicians deliver better outcomes for Australians. We hope that more philanthropy and innovation will join us in this effort, because the challenges are too complex for any one organisation to solve alone.

This is an ambitious goal, and we recognise that McKinnon is only one piece of the puzzle. But democracy is not a spectator sport. If Australia is to remain a wonderful place to live, we need more people and organisations to step off the sidelines and contribute in their own ways. Now more than ever, we must see one another not with suspicion, but as potential partners. From our perspective, by seeking to strengthen institutions, invest in leadership, and renew trust in government, we are working to ensure the opportunities that have allowed our family to flourish, are equally available to future generations of Australians.