Archive for May 2026
Africa Day Celebrated in Canberra with Renewed Focus on Australia–Africa Partnership
Canberra’s diplomatic community gathered at the Canberra Rex Hotel this week to celebrate Africa Day 2026, marking the anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and reflecting on the growing relationship between Australia and the nations of Africa. The evening brought together African Heads of Mission, Australian ministers, parliamentarians, diplomats,…
Read MoreGeorgia’s Independence Day Celebrated in Canberra With Diplomacy, Culture and Georgian Hospitality
Canberra’s diplomatic community gathered at The Marion at Regatta Point on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Independence Day of Georgia, marking 107 years since the declaration of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918. Hosted by the Ambassador of Georgia to Australia, His Excellency Mr Beka Dvali, the reception brought together diplomats, parliamentarians, business…
Read More‘Build the Arch de Trump’: Hockey and Mulvaney’s Candid NPC Conversation on AUKUS, President Trump and Australia’s Strategic Future
At the National Press Club of Australia this week, former Australian Treasurer and former Ambassador to Washington Joe Hockey joined former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for one of the more revealing geopolitical conversations seen in Canberra this year. While the discussion covered everything from China to trade tensions and the future of Donald Trump’s presidency, it was…
Read MoreProtecting Women’s Spaces Bill Sparks Fierce Debate in Federal Parliament
A renewed national debate over sex-based rights, gender identity protections and women-only spaces has erupted in Parliament, following the introduction of a private member’s bill seeking to redefine sex in federal law as “biological and binary.” Nationals Leader Senator Matt Canavan joined campaigner Sal Grover and Nationals MP Alison Penfold in backing the proposed legislation, arguing that amendments made to the…
Read MoreAlbanese Government Sells “Housing Reform” While Dodging the Tax Question
The Albanese Government has attempted to reassure Australians that fuel supplies remain secure amid ongoing Middle East instability — but it was the Government’s increasingly murky tax and housing agenda that dominated attention during the Prime Minister’s latest press conference. While the Prime Minister opened with optimistic commentary about fuel reserves and supply chains, repeatedly…
Read MoreTim Wilson’s Press Club Broadside Signals Coalition Reset on Aspiration and Small Business
Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson MP used his first major address to the National Press Club of Australia since returning to frontline politics to launch an aggressive critique of the Albanese Government’s budget strategy — framing it as an attack on aspiration, entrepreneurship and the “self-starters” of Australia. In a speech titled Stand with Small, Wilson unveiled a new Coalition campaign…
Read MoreCapital Table by Inside Canberra: Inari — One Elegant Bite After Another
Tucked within the bustle of the Canberra Centre, Inari delivers something increasingly difficult to achieve in Canberra dining: genuine atmosphere paired with precision. Walking in late after a meeting with no booking, there was an immediate sense this was not simply another sushi venue trying to imitate sophistication. The smooth jazz humming softly through the…
Read MoreAngus Taylor’s Budget Reply: Coalition Draws a Sharp Line on Immigration, Energy and Tax
The Coalition has used its 2026 Budget Reply to deliver one of the clearest ideological contrasts seen in recent years, with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor arguing Australia is suffering from what he described as “big government” failure across housing, energy, migration and living standards. In a speech framed around economic freedom, Taylor accused the Albanese…
Read MoreBudget 2026-27 National Press Club Address: Chalmers’ high-risk economic gamble
By Inside Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers arrived at the National Press Club determined to frame Budget 2026–27 as both “responsible” and “ambitious” — a reform budget responding to global instability while reshaping Australia’s economic future. But beneath the carefully crafted language lies a budget built on contradictions, political reversals and a series of risky economic…
Read MoreBudget 2026–27: The Industries Winning Billions — And the Sectors Being Sacrificed
The Albanese Government’s 2026–27 Federal Budget is being framed as a plan for “resilience and reform.” But buried beneath the slogans is one of the most interventionist economic blueprints Australia has seen in years. The Budget papers reveal a government actively choosing winners and losers across the economy — directing enormous sums toward favoured sectors…
Read More