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The prize is Australia's only independent, non-partisan award for outstanding political leadership. It seeks to recognise leaders, encourage national discussion and inspire others to pursue courageous and visionary political leadership.
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As Australians, we tend to be good at pointing to what we don't like about our political leaders, but if we want to be constructive we also need to identify, recognise, and discuss the qualities we admire. That's what the McKinnon Prize seeks to do.
Scepticism can be healthy, but Australians' trust in their political leaders has been falling. Without this trust, belief in our system of government can erode and necessary reforms become impossible to achieve. The McKinnon Prize therefore seeks to highlight genuine examples of leadership excellence to counterbalance the prevailing pessimism.
The McKinnon Prize is an unapologetically positive initiative that we hope encourages national discussion about our expectations of political leadership.
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The McKinnon Prize recognises outstanding Australian political leaders in three categories:
Long-serving federal elected representatives with over five years in elected office.
State or Territory elected representatives with over five years in elected office.
Recently elected representatives, with less than five years in federal, state/territory or local office.
PRIZE CRITERIA
In each prize category, nominations are evaluated by an independent Shortlisting Committee and then a Selection Panel, against the same criteria. The criteria ensure leaders are recognised for the right reasons.
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.
The McKinnon Prize criteria are:
The nominee has demonstrated innovative, farsighted, and practical thinking to identify and resolve important public policy problems.
The nominee has built coalitions to achieve positive outcomes across and beyond partisan divides.
The nominee has exhibited honesty, integrity, respect and compassion through a standard of conduct and behaviour that inspires public confidence.
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.
The nominee has demonstrably advanced the public good.
selection panel and process
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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.
2025 Prize recipients
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Senator James Paterson has been awarded the McKinnon Federal Political Leader of the Year, recognised for his disciplined and substantive contribution to public debate, particularly across national security, foreign interference, cybersecurity and democratic integrity.
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NSW Premier Chris Minns has been awarded the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership in the State and Territory category, recognised for the calm authority he demonstrated following the Bondi terror attack and for what the selection panel described as his “clear moral clarity” in responding to rising antisemitism.
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The Hon Dr Andrew Charlton MP has been named McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year in the 2025 McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership, recognised for shaping Australia's response to artificial intelligence at a moment when the stakes for the country could not be higher.
EXPLORE MORE from mckinnon
DEMOCRACY
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PUBLIC SECTOR
A high-performing public sector is essential for translating policy decisions into tangible outcomes that benefit all Australians.
POLICY INNOVATION
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