Inside Canberra

17/06/2026

🚨 DRAMA AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB 🚨

Today Pauline Hanson’s first-ever Leaders Address at the National Press Club of Australia Club, and what unfolded was one of the most extraordinary moments we have witnessed at a major political event.

With more than 220 people packed into the room, the event was already shaping up as one of the largest National Press Club addresses in recent memory.

Then proceedings were interrupted by a security breach that saw a protest banner suddenly appear behind the One Nation leader while she was speaking, prompting an AFP investigation and raising serious questions about how it happened.

Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party is little doubt she continues to command attention unlike almost any other figure in Australian politics.

📖 Read the full story:
https://insidecanberra.com/pauline-hansons-national-press-club-address-draws-record-crowd-interrupted-by-security-breach/

📩 Subscribe to Inside Canberra for exclusive political coverage from Parliament House, the National Press Club and across Canberra:
https://insidecanberra.com/subscribe/

14/06/2026

Has Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party finally broken through in Australia's major cities?
Pauline Hanson's "Fire the Liar" campaign has now raised an extraordinary $3.79 million from 61,829 Australians.
While the fundraising total itself is remarkable, a newly released donation heat map may reveal something even more significant.
For decades, One Nation's support has been associated primarily with regional and rural Australia. Yet the heat map appears to show substantial concentrations of donations throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, raising questions about whether the party is gaining traction well beyond its traditional base.
Is this evidence of a genuine shift in Australian politics?
Or does the map simply reflect where Australia's population is concentrated?
In my latest analysis for Inside Canberra, I examine what the data appears to show—and why One Nation should consider releasing an anonymised postcode or electorate breakdown so the claims can be independently analysed.
👇 Read the full article:
https://insidecanberra.com/one-nations-3-8-million-question-is-the-party-finally-breaking-through-in-australias-cities/
📩 Subscribe to Inside Canberra for independent coverage of politics, government, diplomacy and public affairs:
https://insidecanberra.com/subscribe/
What do you think? Has One Nation expanded beyond its traditional regional support base, or is the heat map being over-interpreted?

14/06/2026

Nearly 80 years ago, Inside Canberra was founded in Old Parliament House to cover the people, policy and power shaping our nation.
Today, we're continuing that tradition in a digital format, providing independent coverage of politics, diplomacy, public policy, National Press Club addresses and major developments from the nation's capital.
We've welcomed readers from across government, Parliament House, the diplomatic community, business and the broader Canberra region.
If you'd like to stay informed with our weekly briefing, you can subscribe here:
https://insidecanberra.com/subscribe
Thank you to everyone who has supported this new chapter for Inside Canberra.

Canberra politics without the spin. Australia’s longest-running political publication – relaunched for the digital era. Subscribe for political analysis, insider reporting, National Press Club coverage and breaking developments from Canberra. Continue to Inside Canberra → Federal politics • ...

13/05/2026

Hidden Numbers Buried in Budget 2026–27

The most politically revealing part of this Budget isn’t the headline giveaways.

It’s the contradictions buried throughout the papers and Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ National Press Club address.

The Government says it wants:
• lower inflation
• higher productivity
• more housing supply
• stronger private investment
• fiscal discipline

Yet this Budget simultaneously:
• increases intervention in the economy
• changes negative gearing and capital gains tax settings
• expands long-term government spending
• increases pressure on investors and some small businesses
• and still sees gross debt exceed $1 trillion

Treasury itself forecasts:
• inflation reaching 5%
• slower economic growth
• weaker household consumption

At the same time Australians are being told these policies will improve affordability, productivity and economic confidence.

Perhaps the biggest political risk is the Government changing long-standing positions on housing and tax after the election — arguing the “status quo” could no longer remain.

But if these reforms fail to materially improve affordability or productivity, Budget 2026–27 may ultimately be remembered less as a reform budget and more as a high-risk economic gamble during an already fragile economy.

Full Inside Canberra analysis below:

https://insidecanberra.com/budget-2026-27-national-press-club-address-chalmers-high-risk-economic-gamble/

For exclusive Inside Canberra political analysis and breaking coverage you can also subscribe here:

https://insidecanberra.com/subscribe/

12/05/2026

🚨 WHO REALLY WINS — AND LOSES — FROM THE 2026 FEDERAL BUDGET? 🚨

After going through the Budget papers in detail, one thing becomes very clear:

Canberra is no longer trying to simply manage the economy — it’s actively choosing which industries thrive and which sectors get squeezed.

💰 BILLIONS are flowing into:
• Defence
• Bureaucracy
• Renewable energy
• Critical minerals
• Government-backed manufacturing

Meanwhile pressure is mounting on:
• Property investors
• Housing development
• Small business
• Private consultants
• Younger Australians trying to build wealth

Some of the numbers are extraordinary:

🔹 $14.8 BILLION fuel resilience package
🔹 13,200+ new APS jobs since 2022
🔹 $168.7 BILLION for health
🔹 $147 BILLION for schools
🔹 $1.051 TRILLION gross debt by June 2027

At the same time:
⚠️ GDP growth slows to 1.75%
⚠️ Inflation forecast to hit 5%
⚠️ Negative gearing & CGT reforms threaten investment confidence

The Government says it wants:
✔️ more housing
✔️ more productivity
✔️ stronger investment

But critics argue many of these policies may actually discourage private capital and worsen long-term economic stagnation.

For Canberra especially, this could represent a major economic turning point.

FULL ANALYSIS ⬇️
https://insidecanberra.com/budget-2026-27-the-industries-winning-billions-and-the-sectors-being-sacrificed/

Do you believe this Budget strengthens Australia — or makes the country more dependent on government over time?

12/05/2026

🚨 BUDGET 2026–27: Canberra’s Warning Bell for Young Australians 🚨
The Federal Budget is being sold as “fairness” and “reform” — but beneath the spin lies a much more troubling reality.
Higher taxes on investment.
At the exact moment Australia needs MORE housing, MORE investment and stronger productivity, Canberra is making it harder to build wealth, finance homes and grow businesses.
Young Australians may ultimately pay the highest price:
• Higher rents
• Reduced investment
• Slower wage growth
• Fewer opportunities
• Trillion-dollar federal debt
The Budget papers themselves admit Australia faces weaker growth, persistent inflation pressures and mounting global uncertainty.
So why discourage the very investment and entrepreneurship Australia needs to grow?
Inside Canberra has analysed the Budget documents in detail — and the contradictions are hard to ignore.
READ THE FULL FEATURE ⬇️
https://insidecanberra.com/budget-2026-27-canberras-warning-bell-for-young-australians/

04/05/2026

Can markets actually LOWER the cost of living?

That was the central question at a Phoenix Society event in Canberra this week — and Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh didn’t hesitate.

His argument:
We don’t have a shortage of policy.
We have a shortage of delivery.

🏗️ Housing stuck in approvals
⚡ Energy projects delayed for years
🌏 Migration misunderstood

Fix those bottlenecks — and supply increases.
Supply increases — and prices come down.

Simple in theory. Hard in practice.

📖 https://insidecanberra.com/inside-canberra-markets-migration-and-abundance-andrew-leighs-case-for-smarter-reform/

29/04/2026

Canberra is at a turning point.
At last night’s ACT Heritage Oration at the NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Tim Ross made a compelling case for why preserving what makes this city unique must sit alongside how we plan for growth.

The 2026 Heritage Festival celebrates Canberra’s mid-century legacy — a period of optimism, design ambition, and a belief that architecture could shape better communities.

That legacy is still visible across the city today.
But it’s also under pressure.
During the Q&A, I raised the Acton Waterfront project as a real-world example of the tension between heritage, density, and development.

This isn’t just a design issue.

It’s about how much density, where it goes, and how well it’s done.

Get it right, and Canberra sets a national benchmark.
Get it wrong, and we risk losing something that can’t be replaced.
📰 Full article: https://insidecanberra.com/saving-canberra-or-losing-it-tim-ross-heritage-and-the-acton-waterfront-question/

17/04/2026

Canberra wasn’t always the structured capital we see today.

In the 1950s, it was something far more interesting — a tightly connected social experiment where diplomats, academics and public servants lived, worked and socialised side by side.

At a recent Heritage Festival talk at the Canberra Museum & Gallery, a fascinating picture emerged:

👉 Tennis courts doubling as diplomatic meeting grounds
👉 Cocktail parties shaping political relationships
👉 Bookshops and living rooms becoming intellectual hubs
👉 Cold War tensions playing out in everyday life

This wasn’t just history — it was the foundation of modern Canberra.

The real insight?
Power in Canberra has never been purely institutional.
It’s always been social.

Read the full piece on Inside Canberra 👇
https://insidecanberra.com/inside-canberras-quiet-diplomacy-how-tennis-courts-cocktail-parties-and-living-rooms-shaped-a-nation/

13/04/2026

Australia’s military leadership has just undergone a major—and historic—shake-up.
A new Chief of the Defence Force has been appointed, the Navy will see fresh leadership aligned with the AUKUS submarine program, and for the first time in our nation’s history, a woman will lead the Australian Army.
This isn’t just a routine reshuffle.
It comes at a moment of rising global instability, growing pressure on fuel security, and a rapidly changing strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific.
What stands out:
• A submariner will now lead the entire ADF — reflecting a clear strategic pivot
• Lieutenant General Susan Coyle becomes the first woman to serve as Chief of Army
• Leadership shaped by AUKUS and long-range capability priorities
• A new generation rising from enlisted ranks to the very top
At a time when Australia faces increasingly complex global challenges, these appointments signal a Defence Force being reshaped not just structurally—but culturally.
👉 Read the full Inside Canberra analysis: https://insidecanberra.com/historic-shake-up-at-the-top-of-the-adf-as-australia-confronts-a-more-uncertain-world/