Leeser and Burns win McKinnon Prize for bipartisan leadership

Federal Liberal MP Julian Leeser and Labor MP Josh Burns have jointly received the McKinnon Prize for excellence in political leadership, recognised for their bipartisan cooperation in combating the surge of antisemitism in Australia.

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) congratulated both parliamentarians, with Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein noting they had “maintained respectful strong bipartisan cooperation and principled leadership on issues of vital importance to the Jewish community, including the unprecedented explosion of antisemitism in Australia and how to contain it.”

Both MPs emphasised that their shared Jewish identity shaped their understanding of the stakes involved.

“To be a Jew is to understand that we are part of a long and unbroken chain,” Leeser told The AJN.

“In knowing that history, you become conscious of the fragility of freedom and where mistreatment and intimidation of Jews ultimately lead.”