Inside Canberra

21/08/2026

This week’s edition of **Inside Canberra** is out now.

It has been an unusually busy week across Parliament, the diplomatic community and Canberra’s policy circuit, so this edition puts particular emphasis on **Around Canberra / From the Gallery** — capturing the events, meetings and developments that do not always make the daily headlines.

Also inside: the major policy and political stories published by Inside Canberra across the week, together with a forward look at events worth watching.

For newer readers who joined us this week, the free preview is only part of the edition. **Paid subscribers receive the complete weekly briefing, the full Around Canberra section and access to Inside Canberra’s broader reporting and analysis.**

Read this week’s edition here:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/inside-canberra-weekly-b59?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

**Inside Canberra — federal politics, public policy and the people around it.**

18/08/2026

Australia’s farm sector has passed the $100 billion mark — but at today’s National Farmers' Federation Leaders’ Summit in Canberra, the focus quickly shifted from production records to the risks sitting underneath them.

Competition policy, right to repair, supermarket bargaining power, fertiliser security, trade diversification and supply-chain resilience all featured prominently in the opening sessions.

Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh MP outlined reforms aimed at strengthening competition for farmers, while ASPI's Dr John Coyne argued Australia must now treat resilience as an economic capability, not simply a national-security concern.

Shadow Agriculture Minister Darren Chester MP also set out where the Coalition intends to challenge the Government, including food security, environmental law reform and the growing competition between agricultural production and carbon projects.

Inside Canberra is covering the NFF Leaders’ Summit throughout the day.

Read the first report here:
https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/nff-summit-puts-resilience-and-competition?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

17/08/2026

The National Party of Australia have used their Federal Conference in Canberra to sharpen their policy agenda ahead of the next election, with food security, family taxation, energy and migration emerging as central themes.

Under Senator Matthew Canavan's leadership, the party is pushing for stronger protections for productive agricultural land, income splitting for families, changes to paid parental leave and a markedly different approach to Australia’s energy mix.

The conference also highlighted the Nationals’ attempt to define a clearer identity within the Coalition while maintaining a strong focus on regional Australia.

Inside Canberra examines what was agreed, what remains party policy rather than Coalition policy, and which proposals could ultimately shape the next federal election.

Read the full analysis here:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/nationals-put-food-security-family?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

15/08/2026

The latest **Inside Canberra** is out now.

This week’s edition looks at the major political and policy developments shaping the national agenda — including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s tariff discussion with US President Donald Trump, Question Time by the numbers, the Coalition’s migration and housing argument, Australia’s deepening relationship with Vietnam, and more from around Parliament and Canberra’s diplomatic community.

Inside Canberra goes beyond the daily headline cycle to examine the detail, context and people behind federal politics and public policy.

Read the latest edition and subscribe here:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/inside-canberra-weekly-b1a?r=81tnk0

Trump tariffs, housing pressure and the politics of national capacity

13/08/2026

Australia’s average earnings growth has slowed to its weakest pace since 2022 — at the same time inflation remains elevated and cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh on households.

The latest ABS figures point to an important shift in the labour market, but the headline does not tell the whole story.

Average Weekly Earnings can be affected by changes in the composition of the workforce, making the next Wage Price Index release particularly important in determining whether underlying wage growth is also losing momentum.

Inside Canberra examines what the latest figures mean for real household incomes, inflation, interest rates and the economic debate in Canberra — including why the ACT remains at the upper end of the national earnings table.

Read the full analysis:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/average-earnings-growth-falls-to?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

New ABS figures point to a softer income backdrop for Australian workers, sharpening the focus on purchasing power, the next Wage Price Index and the direction of the economy.

10/08/2026

Tasmania’s five federal electorates will retain their existing names after the AEC rejected the proposed renaming of Franklin as Tongerlongter.

The redistribution panel said the case for recognising Tongerlongter was “very strong”, including because of his connection to the area covered by Franklin’s new boundaries.

However, the panel ultimately found that differing views among Tasmanian Aboriginal organisations and individuals meant further consultation was needed.

Public engagement surged once the proposed name was announced, with 272 submissions received during the final feedback period.

The decision leaves Bass, Braddon, Clark, Franklin and Lyons unchanged, although Tasmania’s new electoral boundaries will still take effect from the next federal election.

Read the full analysis from Inside Canberra:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/aec-rejects-tongerlongter-rename?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

10/08/2026

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor MP says Australia’s migration intake should be capped according to housing supply, arguing the country cannot continue bringing in more people without the homes, infrastructure and services to support them.

The Canberra appearance also saw the Coalition sharpen its broader economic argument on housing, cost of living and government spending, while leaving the door open to deals with Labor on gambling reform and the NDIS.

Inside Canberra looks at what Taylor’s housing-linked migration proposal would mean in practice — and the policy questions.
Read the full article:
https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/taylor-ties-migration-cap-to-housing?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor says migration should rise and fall with Australia’s capacity to build homes, while signalling Coalition cooperation on gambling and NDIS reform.

07/08/2026

This week’s *Inside Canberra* brings together our reporting on data-centre energy regulation, criminal-intelligence powers, electoral transparency, small-business policy and rural medical training.

The edition also examines new tax legislation, shifting political allegiances and Canberra’s continuing role as the centre of Australia’s diplomatic, institutional and civic life.

Read the weekly briefing: https://insidecanberra.substack.com/p/inside-canberra-weekly-078?r=81tnk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

07/08/2026

🚨 Acton Waterfront is planning backwards—and Canberrans will pay the price.

The ACT Government is preparing to take this nationally significant waterfront site to market before Canberrans have seen the full development envelope or crucial impact studies.

Worse, the successful developer may then help prepare the formal Estate Development Plan.

That is planning backwards: establish the commercial deal first and show the public the rules later.

City Renewal Canberra did not answer Inside Canberra’s questions before publication. Canberra deserves answers—and genuine consultation before commercial expectations are locked in.

Read the full investigation:

https://insidecanberra.com/acton-waterfront-is-planning-backwards-and-canberrans-will-pay-the-price/



2CC ABC Canberra WIN News Canberra Canberra CityNews The Canberra Times Region Canberra Canberra Daily Elizabeth Lee MLA Andrew Barr ACT Chief Minister