Inside Canberra 🇦🇺 Politics, civic life & events shaping Australia’s capital
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This week’s Inside Canberra is out.
Rates at 4.85%, One Nation ahead in Newspoll, AUKUS scrutiny and diplomacy from CHOGM to Europe.
Independent reporting since 1947. Subscribe to read the full edition:
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#auspol
I’ve known Michelle Landry since her election in 2013. As she announces her retirement at the next election, I reflect on her service to Capricornia and her time around Parliament.
My personal tribute:
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This week in Inside Canberra: jobs soften, the health rebate bill returns, King Abdullah II visits and Ireland marks 80 years of diplomatic relations. Plus Parliament, the diplomatic circuit and the diary. Subscribe: insidecanberra.substack.com/…
Madeleine King links FIRB reform to the Northern Minerals dispute as Labor introduces its gas reservation bill.
What she said about divestment orders, rare earths and nationalisation—and what remains unresolved.
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Milton Dick has become the first Australian and Pacific parliamentarian elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, securing 56% of the vote.
What the role involves—and his priorities for the next three years.
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NEW: Who will help direct Australian cotton’s research dollars for the next three years?
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has appointed six directors to the CRDC board — including former Cotton Australia chairs Nigel Burnett and Andrew Watson, agricultural economist Dr Alexandra Lobb and plant breeder Dr Rebecca Thistlethwaite.
Inside Canberra looks beyond the announcement at who the appointees are, where they come from and their past industry and research affiliations.
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Australia’s 2025–26 Final Budget Outcome has delivered a $22.3bn deficit — $6bn better than forecast in May.
But what sits behind the headline?
Inside Canberra tests the figures and claims on debt, spending, inflation, productivity and migration.
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President @realDonaldTrump and Prime Minister @AlboMP met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week.
Inside Canberra Weekly covers Australia’s Security Council bid, its new agreement with Ukraine, the latest jobs figures and the housing debate.
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The new Inside Canberra Weekly is out.
This week: privacy reform, parliamentary adviser allocations, Pacific strategy and the debate over the Australian War Memorial.
Subscribe for the full edition and ongoing coverage of federal politics and public policy.
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Inside Canberra delivers independent coverage of federal politics, policy and the institutions shaping national decisions.
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Should the War Memorial remain a national shrine to those who served — or become a venue for contested frontier-war interpretations?
Inside Canberra examines the case for Defend Sacred Ground.
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@HonTonyAbbott @JNampijinpa @nyunggai @TheIPA @HestonRussell
There is also a democratic question here.
If the Australian War Memorial is to undergo a fundamental change in purpose, that should be debated openly and authorised by Parliament — not achieved gradually through administrative reinterpretation.
Veterans, families and Australians generally deserve a say.
@SenPaterson @mattjcan @Barnaby_Joyce
Staffing in Parliament House is back in focus.
Finance figures: Labor 4.09 staff per parliamentarian; Greens 1.55; Coalition 1.47; One Nation 0.83.
Inside Canberra looks at the numbers and who decides the allocations.
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@PaulineHansonOz @DavidPocock #auspol
The bigger issue goes beyond the headline ratios: there is no simple independent formula determining these additional staffing allocations.
That leaves significant discretion with the Prime Minister — and is why calls for a more transparent, rules-based system are likely to continue.
@Greens @DavidPocock
Australia’s next privacy reforms would give users a right to erase data held by major platforms, tighten consent and data-trading rules, and introduce a “fair and reasonable” test for collection.
@MRowlandMP says legislation is planned this year. @OAICgov #auspol
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The detail matters: the consultation runs for three weeks, with the Government aiming to introduce legislation this year. Proposed penalties could run into the tens of millions, while a new IDLOC service through myGov would let Australians block or monitor use of eligible identity documents.
@OAICgov #Privacy #auspol
One Nation claims historic Secret Harbour victory as Labor stronghold cracks
Luke Herdegen: “There are no safe Labor seats in this state or in this country anymore.”
From 8.4% in 2025 to an indicative lead — a warning for both major parties.
@OneNationAus @PaulineHansonOz #auspol #wapol
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The result matters well beyond Secret Harbour.
For Labor, it raises questions about its outer-suburban working-class base.
With parts of the seat overlapping Andrew Hastie’s Canning, Canberra will be watching closely.
@PaulineHansonOz @OneNationAus @BasilZempilas #wapol #auspol
Kevin Rudd says Xi Jinping is betting China’s economic future on AI — potentially giving Beijing a “visible hand of the state” to challenge the market model.
Inside Canberra reports from his lively @anu_china lecture at @ourANU.
@MrKRudd @TimWattsMP
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Rudd’s argument goes well beyond AI itself: he says Beijing is exploring whether the “visible hand of the state”, powered by data and algorithms, can eventually rival the market’s invisible hand in allocating resources.
A significant thesis for China watchers.
@ANUasiapacific @AIIANational @aiiaact @anu_china