Posts by Editor

LONDON — In one of the most dramatic political gambles in modern British politics, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has resigned as the Member of Parliament for Clacton, voluntarily triggering a by-election that he says will become a referendum on both his own conduct and Britain’s political establishment. The surprise announcement comes just weeks after the…

BERRIMAH, NT — Opposition Leader The Hon. Angus Taylor MP has launched a broad attack on the Albanese Government’s economic and national security agenda, accusing Labor of presiding over a “trifecta of failure” in housing while calling for a significant increase in defence spending following China’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in the Pacific. Appearing alongside Senator Jacinta…

A senior Meta executive has defended the social media giant’s controversial overhaul of its content moderation policies before Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism, arguing the changes were designed to better protect legitimate speech while continuing to remove harmful content from its platforms. The hearing provided one of the most detailed public examinations yet of how…

By Michael Keating | Inside Canberra CANBERRA — The Royal Australian Navy has entered a defining new chapter, with Vice Admiral Matthew Buckley AM, CSC, RAN formally assuming command as Chief of Navy, succeeding Admiral Mark Hammond AO, RAN, who now transitions to become Australia’s new Chief of the Defence Force. While the ceremony in Canberra on Tuesday was steeped in…

CANBERRA — More than 100 professionals from across Australia’s renewable energy sector gathered in Canberra for the third Energy Capital networking event, highlighting the growing importance of the national capital as a meeting place for one of the country’s fastest-evolving industries. Hosted by RenewMap at Verity Lane Market, the event drew developers, government representatives, investors, consultants, suppliers, start-ups…

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced eight new senior diplomatic appointments across Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the Pacific and APEC, in a reshuffle that quietly reveals where Canberra sees its foreign policy pressure points. The new appointments are: Wong described the appointees as “experienced career officials”, and that is the…

By David Maywald Over three days in late June, I joined around 4,000 delegates from more than 100 countries at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London. Among them were 1,000 young leaders under the age of 35; a striking reminder that this isn’t simply a gathering of established thinkers, but an investment…

By Michael Keating | Inside Canberra Australia has released what is arguably its most detailed defence industry blueprint ever produced. Spread across 184 pages—a 106-page Defence Industry Development Strategy, a 78-page technical annex, and supporting fact sheets—the documents represent a fundamental rethink of how Australia intends to design, build, maintain and export military capability over the coming decade.…

By Michael Keating | Inside Canberra Australia’s defence procurement system is set for its biggest structural overhaul in half a century, with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy using a National Press Club address to announce a series of reforms aimed at reducing cost blowouts, accelerating project delivery and strengthening Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base.  While…

CANBERRA, July 1 — Australia is failing to capitalise on one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions, with leading African-Australian academic Professor Mimi Claudine Watts urging Parliament to pursue a far more ambitious engagement strategy built on education, science, business and diaspora leadership. Appearing before the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade’s…