Inflation rose to 4.3 per cent in September, sharpening the political contest over household living costs. This week, the Greens proposed lifting the tax-free threshold, while a broad alliance of housing organisations called for a 20-year supply plan. Both proposals face questions about funding and delivery as voters continue to look beyond.

Also in this edition: the latest federal and Victorian polling, the next operational step for AUKUS, and the diplomatic activity around Parliament House, including the Hellenic Presidential Guard’s first visit to Canberra. We also remember Sir Patrick Stewart and the vision of leadership and human possibility he gave us as Jean-Luc Picard.

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By Michael Keating | Inside Canberra | 30 October 2026

For so many of us, Sir Patrick Stewart was our Captain.

As Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the starship Enterprise, he allowed us to dream of what humanity might become in the 24th century. Through his portrayal, the future seemed a place worth striving towards: a world in which knowledge mattered, differences could be understood and exploration remained one of our highest ambitions.

With the news of his death at 86, I find myself thinking about how much of that hope he brought into our lives.

Star Trek: The Next Generation filled our screens with distant worlds and the possibilities of space exploration. It encouraged us to wonder about physics, technology and the limits of human ingenuity. At its heart was a captain whose judgement gave those adventures their meaning.

Picard listened. He considered the consequences. He understood the responsibilities that came with command and was prepared to defend a principle when doing so carried a personal cost. Stewart made that combination of intellect, restraint and courage compelling to watch.

For me, his portrayal became an enduring example of leadership. There was authority in that calm voice, and strength in the willingness to hear another point of view. He was the epitome of a man to aspire to.

Reading his memoir, Making It So, a few years ago gave me a greater appreciation of the man behind the character. His upbringing in working-class Yorkshire was a world away from the bridge of the Enterprise. Learning about that childhood and his journey into the theatre made the distance he travelled all the more remarkable.

It also reminded me how easily we can come to know an actor through a role while knowing comparatively little about the life that made the performance possible. Behind the captain was a man with his own struggles, humour and determination, and a deep love of his craft.

During the COVID years, that familiar voice reached us in a different way. His readings of Shakespeare’s sonnets became a source of comfort for many people. A sonnet a day offered a small, reassuring ritual when ordinary routines had fallen away and the world felt uncertain. I remember the generosity of it: an actor sharing words he loved, in the hope that they might help someone else through the day.

His return in Star Trek: Picard brought us a more distinguished Jean-Luc, now an admiral, carrying the experience and regrets of a long life. I valued that return. It gave a familiar hero room to age, to reflect and to discover that he still had something to contribute.

One of my favourite stories he told concerned former president Ronald Reagan’s visit to the set of The Next Generation in 1991. The image of Reagan taking a seat in the captain’s chair has always delighted me. Whatever their political differences, there was something wonderfully human about a former president being drawn to the bridge of the Enterprise. It was a place that could stir the imagination of almost anyone.

That is what Stewart gave us. He made a fictional future feel close enough to care about, and its ideals worth carrying into our own lives. His captain offered men an example to aspire to, and audiences everywhere a reason to believe that humanity might yet choose a wiser course.

The invitation to boldly go where no one has gone before will remain. So will the memory of the man who made us want to follow.

Go well, Admiral. You made it so!

I have known Michelle personally throughout that time. We have met and spoken at many parliamentary events, and her announcement today prompted me to return to a photograph from one of the occasions I remember most fondly.

It shows Michelle and myself with the then Acting Ambassador of Argentina at an Australia Day celebration in 2016 at Parliament House. For me, that gathering was one of the most significant occasions on the parliamentary calendar.

It also captures something that can be difficult to convey in daily political reporting: the life of Parliament beyond the chamber, and the relationships built over years of conversation and shared occasions.

Michelle Landry, centre, with Michael Keating, right, and the then Acting Ambassador of Argentina at an Australia Day celebration in 2016 at Parliament House. File photograph. Photo: CityNews.com.au.

A parliamentary life built over time

That Australia Day event brought together people whose paths might otherwise cross only briefly in the course of parliamentary business. It was an opportunity to celebrate Australia and to spend time with colleagues, diplomatic representatives and others involved in the life of the national capital.

I still regret its disappearance from the calendar. Alongside the parliamentary Taste of Tasmania functions championed by then senator Eric Abetz, it belonged to a group of occasions I regarded as particularly significant in Canberra’s parliamentary year.

Looking at the photograph now, I am reminded of how much of a parliamentary career unfolds in those settings.

Michelle has been part of that world for more than a decade. Her announcement marks the approaching end of a chapter for people who have known her in Canberra, as well as for the Central Queensland communities she represents.

Five victories and a clear sense of place

First elected as the Member for Capricornia in 2013, Michelle has won the seat at five consecutive federal elections.

At today’s press conference, she expressed pride in that record and in becoming the first conservative representative to hold the electorate for consecutive terms. She recalled the particularly close contest in 2016 and the substantial swing she secured in 2019.

She also spoke about the work that continues between elections: helping constituents, pursuing projects and working with staff and community supporters to get results.

Standing alongside her, Nationals leader Matt Canavan pointed to the Rockhampton Hospital car park as an example of her persistence. He recalled the argument that it was state infrastructure, and Michelle’s determination to pursue it because it mattered to local people.

His tribute also acknowledged her advocacy for roads and other regional infrastructure, and her contribution to holding the Nationals’ parliamentary team together.

Michelle’s career has included service as Assistant Minister for Children and Families, Northern Australia and Regional Tourism, as well as parliamentary party responsibilities.

Still work to do

Michelle was clear that she is retiring at the next election. There is work she still wants to pursue, and she intends to continue representing Capricornia through the remainder of her term.

She also said the decision was her own and acknowledged friendships across the Parliament, including with Speaker Milton Dick.

Matt Canavan did not announce a decision about his own political future at the press conference. There will be time for the contest over who follows Michelle. Today’s announcement deserves attention in its own right.

For me, it is an occasion to recognise someone I have known through many years of parliamentary life, and whose presence has become part of my own found memories of Canberra.

The photograph accompanying this tribute records one of those moments. Her five election victories, ministerial service and years of advocacy record a much larger contribution.

I wish Michelle well for the work that remains, and for the family time, friendships, orchids and beach walks that will follow.

The week also brought a new low for Labor’s primary vote in the News24 Pulse/YouGov poll, reports of a potential move to the House of Representatives by Nationals leader Matt Canavan, and a growing argument over the future of Defence land.

In Canberra’s diplomatic community, Hungary commemorated the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution, Cyprus’s new High Commissioner presented his credentials, and Finland’s Defence Minister held talks on security cooperation.

This edition brings together the week’s political developments, policy announcements, diplomatic engagements and coming events.

Subscribe to Inside Canberra for independent reporting on the decisions, institutions and relationships shaping the national capital.

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King Abdullah II of Jordan with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the King’s October visit to Australia. Source: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Australia’s labour market softened as Parliament’s dispute over private health insurance rebates continued, while Canberra hosted a substantial programme of diplomatic visits and community advocacy.

King Abdullah II’s visit produced commitments on security, mental health and cultural cooperation. Ireland marked 80 years of diplomatic relations with Australia at Parliament House, and Palau’s President visited Canberra for the opening of his country’s first embassy in Australia.

In this edition: the latest jobs figures; what happened after the Senate blocked the health rebate bill; the substance of the Jordan visit; parliamentary and diplomatic engagements; and the events ahead.

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Resources Minister Madeleine King has identified the unresolved foreign investment dispute surrounding Northern Minerals as a driver of reform to Australia’s foreign investment rules, warning that certain shareholdings are holding up the development of strategically important resources.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, King described the situation involving the company’s Browns Range heavy rare earths deposit in Western Australia as a “very serious matter” affecting Australia’s national interest and national security.

Her comments came after she introduced legislation establishing a national gas reservation scheme, connecting two central elements of the government’s resources policy: securing affordable energy for Australian industry and developing mineral supply chains essential to advanced manufacturing and defence.

The closing exchange on Northern Minerals also raised the possibility of nationalisation. King acknowledged it was an option when asked, but immediately resisted the suggestion that the government had decided to pursue it.

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House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick has been elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, becoming the first Australian and first person from the Pacific to lead the organisation.

Dick won 56 per cent of the vote in a single round of secret-ballot voting at the 153rd IPU Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday 9 October. He becomes its 32nd President, succeeding Tanzania’s Tulia Ackson following the completion of her three-year term.

Announcing the result on social media, Dick described his election as “an enormous privilege and honour” and thanked supporters for recognising Australia’s contribution to parliamentary diplomacy.

“This was a team Australia moment,” he wrote.

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Welcome to this special Monday edition of Inside Canberra, covering developments from Monday 5 October to Monday 12 October.

Migration moved to the centre of the political contest as the Coalition released its proposed overhaul of temporary visas, prompting a mixed response from business and agriculture. The latest polling, meanwhile, showed Labor, One Nation and the Coalition competing across a fragmented electorate, with different surveys producing different leaders on the primary vote.

Overseas, Treasurer Jim Chalmers established a new finance dialogue with Japan while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Pacific preparations for COP31. At home, Canberra Airport put a city stadium back on the agenda, Government House opened its gates, and the capital hosted the national commemoration of 25 years of Australian service in Afghanistan.

In this edition: the migration commitments and industry response; the polling in context; diplomatic developments; Canberra’s stadium proposal; and the people and occasions around the capital.

Subscribe for the full Inside Canberra briefing on the people, policy and decisions shaping the national capital.

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside Canberra.

The economic argument returned emphatically to the centre of Australian politics this week.

The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate by another 25 basis points to 4.60 per cent, its fourth increase of 2026, after concluding that inflation remained too high and that some of the upside risks identified earlier in the year were materialising. The decision was unanimous. The following day, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported annual headline inflation had climbed from 3.5 per cent to 4.0 per cent in August. Reserve Bank of Australia

Those developments came immediately after the Final Budget Outcome delivered the Government a better-than-forecast fiscal result. The 2025–26 deficit finished at $22.3 billion — $6 billion below the May Budget estimate — after receipts came in $4.6 billion higher and payments $1.4 billion lower than forecast. Gross debt was also $10.6 billion below the May estimate. Treasury Ministers

Beyond economics, the Greens changed leaders after Senator Larissa Waters stepped aside for health reasons, electing Senator David Shoebridge as leader and Senator Steph Hodgins-May as deputy. Canberra’s diplomatic community also welcomed four newly credentialled ambassadors,

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Australia has closed the 2025–26 financial year with an underlying cash deficit of $22.3 billion, or about 0.8 per cent of GDP, $6 billion smaller than the $28.3 billion deficit forecast in the May Budget. The deficit nevertheless widened from $10 billion in 2024–25, while the May Budget forecasts a further $31.5 billion deficit in 2026–27.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the improvement since May consisted of $4.6 billion more in receipts and $1.4 billion less in payments. Gross debt at the end of the financial year was also $10.6 billion below the May expectation. Final Budget & Outlook

Importantly, Chalmers said the revenue surprise was not the familiar commodity-price windfall. Mining profits were below forecast, with the additional receipts overwhelmingly attributed to stronger superannuation fund and investor income. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said lower-than-expected spending on aged care, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, childcare and some national partnership payments also assisted the result, although expenditure was higher in some other areas.

The $230 billion figure needs a qualifier

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This edition brings those developments together with the Coalition’s fuel tax proposal, a change to access to mandatory Australian Standards, the ACT’s proposed hate-law reforms and the decisions to watch next.

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Australia’s longest-running specialist newsletter dedicated to federal politics and public policy.

Welcome

Inside Canberra returns with a special Monday edition after a fortnight in which the political ground shifted sharply.

The latest Newspoll has placed One Nation ahead of both major parties on primary support, while Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has unveiled the Government’s most substantial migration overhaul since the election.

Behind those headlines, new population figures have reinforced the scale of Australia’s housing and infrastructure challenge. The Government is also pressing technology companies on online safety, deepening defence cooperation with Malaysia and maintaining an active diplomatic calendar in Canberra.

This edition examines the detail—and what it means beyond the immediate political contest.

Subscribe for independent Canberra reporting, analysis and commentary delivered directly to your inbox:

https://insidecanberra.substack.com/subscribe

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The Albanese Government has put a major privacy overhaul on the table, including a proposed right for Australians to ask large digital platforms to erase their personal information. Parliament’s uneven allocation of personal staff also returned to scrutiny, while a new campaign sharpened debate over how the Australian War Memorial should treat frontier conflict. In the Pacific, leaders gathered in Palau as Australia and the United States announced new security and infrastructure commitments. At home, Canberra hosted debates over housing density, AUKUS and the future of the National Capital Authority, while national institutions marked ANZUS, Legacy Week, Australian National Flag Day and 125 years of Federation.

For more than seven decades, Inside Canberra has followed the decisions, personalities and institutions that shape national affairs. Here is the week in review.

This week’s Inside Canberra

Government proposes right to erase personal data in privacy overhaul

The Albanese Government has proposed a new right to erasure as part of the next stage of Australia’s privacy reforms, giving people a clearer pathway to ask large digital platforms — including social media and search services — to destroy personal information held about them.

The consultation also proposes a fair and reasonable test for the collection and use of personal information, stronger standards for meaningful consent and restrictions on trading personal data without clear permission. The changes respond to public concern that Australians have little practical control over how their information is collected, combined and sold.

The central policy question is how far the government can strengthen individual control while keeping the system workable for businesses, regulators and services that legitimately rely on data. Submissions on the proposed framework close on 18 September.

Read the full article →

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The American package covers energy security, transport infrastructure, digital networks, law enforcement and illegal fishing. It was announced by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Forum Partners Dialogue on September 1.

Mr Albanese is in Palau from August 31 to September 3 for his fifth leaders’ meeting and his first official visit to the country. He is accompanied by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy.

The announcements place infrastructure, energy resilience and security at the centre of renewed competition for influence in the Pacific — but the detail also shows Washington pursuing a distinctly commercial strategy, with several projects designed to create opportunities for American companies and technology providers.

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The campaign is calling for the planned expansion of frontier-conflict material at the Memorial to be halted and for significant alterations to its historical remit to require parliamentary approval.

Its central argument is compelling.

This is not about pretending frontier conflict did not occur. It did. Nor does recognising that reality require Australians to accept every casualty estimate, every retrospective classification of an encounter as a “massacre”, or every modern political interpretation of events occurring as far back as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as established fact.

Historical evidence from that period is frequently incomplete. Records can be contradictory. Contemporary documentation is sometimes sparse or absent. Some claims rely on accounts recorded considerably later, oral histories, reconstruction and inference.

That distinction between evidence and interpretation becomes especially important when the institution involved is not simply another museum.

The Australian War Memorial is Australia’s national shrine to military service and sacrifice.

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Pauline Hanson has reopened a long-running argument over the distribution of taxpayer-funded personal staff across federal Parliament, arguing One Nation receives substantially fewer positions per parliamentarian than several other political groups.

Figures circulated by the One Nation leader, drawn from personal employee position data tabled by the Department of Finance as at 1 May 2026, put the Government at 507 personal staff positions for 124 Labor parliamentarians, or 4.09 positions for each elected member.

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Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the package would introduce a “fair and reasonable” test for the handling of personal data, a right to erasure for information held by large digital platforms and search engines, stronger consent requirements and tighter controls over the sale of personal information.

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One Nation has claimed a potentially historic victory in Western Australia’s Secret Harbour by-election, with candidate Luke Herdegen declaring that the result had shattered assumptions about the security of Labor-held seats in Perth’s outer suburbs.

Herdegen addressed a noisy and jubilant One Nation gathering on Saturday night after the indicative count put him ahead of Labor candidate Georgia Tree. Contemporary reporting put Herdegen at about 54 per cent on the indicative two-candidate-preferred count as One Nation moved to claim what would be its first lower-house seat in Western Australia.

The mood at the celebration was markedly different from that of a conventional narrow by-election victory. Herdegen sought immediately to turn the local result into a broader political warning.

“The people of Secret Harbour have sent a message that will send shockwaves around the country.”

He followed that with perhaps the most memorable line of the night:

“No seat is safe from the orange tsunami.”

And then, more directly:

“There are no safe Labor seats in this state or in this country anymore.”

Those claims are considerably larger than anything that can be established from a single state by-election. But the numbers behind the celebration explain why One Nation believes it has something significant to talk about.

Secret Harbour went into Saturday’s contest as a Very Safe Labor seat with an 11.5-point margin. It is a beachside outer-metropolitan electorate between Rockingham and Mandurah, with a large population of younger working families and the cost-of-living and infrastructure pressures common to Perth’s rapidly expanding fringe.

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside Canberra.

The political argument in Australia is broadening.

Energy, migration, housing, universities, regional development and sovereign capability are increasingly being presented not as separate policy debates but as different parts of the same argument about Australia’s economic capacity.

The Coalition has now moved decisively against net zero. Regional leaders and businesses gathered in Dubbo to press their own case on costs, regulation, infrastructure and investment. Employers on the Gold Coast told Parliament that Australia’s migration system is failing to match workers with jobs. Universities warned that government policy is removing hundreds of millions of dollars from teaching.

And at The Australian National University, former prime minister Kevin Rudd offered a very different perspective on economic power: Xi Jinping’s determination to make China a technological superpower, with artificial intelligence at the centre of a state-directed economic strategy.

Away from the main headlines, One Nation unveiled an unusually credentialled NSW leader, Canberra Airport took another step towards a direct Chinese connection, the University of Canberra and ACT Government renewed their institutional partnership, and Australia’s diplomatic community remained particularly active.

Paid subscribers can continue below for the complete weekly briefing — our reporting from the week, political and economic developments, Canberra’s diplomatic round, the people moving through the capital and what to watch next.

For reporting and developments between editions, follow me on X at @keating01.

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