ACT Labor has returned from the room of mirrors post election and resolved to stop their enemies ever getting close to victory again:
As well as numerous public resources, this report is mainly constructed from interviews with local campaigners and the 47 submissions made from ACT Labor members and local party units. The recommendations detailed [...]

Steven Bailey (KAP Senate candidate for the ACT), and Bruce (dog), are fleeing Canberra for a while in order to finish scoring an opera.
“it’ll be great to get back to the bush for some inspiration. I’ll go on a few motor bike rides and walks through the bush with my dog Bruce”
“I’ll shoot a few [...]

I have just read a media release from the new president of the Tuggeranong Community Council.
It seems the TCC is so eager to see Zed in Federal Parliament it has already crowned him “Senator” Seselja. (Hope that goes down well with Gary Humphries and his supporters) Doesn’t the TCC realise there needs to be [...]

The ABC has the story on the expected pre-selection triumph of Zed Seselja in knocking over Senator Gary Humphries:
The ACT Liberal Party has dumped long-serving Senator Gary Humphries after a bitter preselection battle.
Former ACT Liberal leader Zed Seselja won today’s preselection vote 114 to 84 votes.
CityNews reports that Pogo* stalwart Gary Kent is planning to [...]

Andrew Barr’s office has pushed out the news that the ACTTAB privatisation will be overseen by consultancy juggernaut PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC):
The study will identify the full range of future ownership options and the issues associated with each. The various options range from retaining full government ownership and possible improvements to existing operational/governance arrangements, or the partial [...]

Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh has been tweeting his impact on international currency markets:
Apparently my question to the RBA Governor about easing vs tightening just caused the AUD to fall. You’re welcome, @howespaul.
— Andrew Leigh (@ALeighMP) February 22, 2013

The ABC has the news that even the Labor movement dominated Clubs aren’t willing to spend money on the possibility of Labor winning the next election:
Members met on Thursday afternoon to decide on whether to begin the trial organised, or delay until after the September polling date.
ClubsACT chief executive Jeff House says managers are [...]

The ABC has reassuring noises from Zed Seselja over not needing to fear an Abbott Government because the job losses will only be 4,000 rather than 12,000:
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has pledged to cut 12,000 jobs from the Commonwealth public service if he wins government in September.
But Mr Seselja has told a Legislative [...]

I just got an automated call from a company I’ve never heard of. They are doing a poll on people’s intentions for the next federal election.
By the sounds of it (“What is your personal opinion of Zed Seselja”), Zed’s team was paying for it.
Not really ‘Push polling’, but still pretty lame.
Is Zed that desperate? [...]

Matt Watts has emailed in the latest reports from his trench warfare over the Belconnen Community Council.
He’s sent in a letter from the Office of Regulatory Services which calls for a new Annual General Meeting to resolve the disputed presidency. (pending review, appeal, and mediation, once again procedural fairness overrides anything resembling justice).
Matt’s also provided [...]

Setting a new record for email interview replies Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson has responded to your questions with these answers:

1. poetix
What is your favourite music, and why?
Pretty diverse tastes from AC/DC to classical but if I have a favourite it’s country music with a bluesy edge. Reason being I play the guitar and sing [...]

Just thinking about what Shane Rattenbury is trying to do here fills my soul with dread:
ACT Greens member for Molonglo, Shane Rattenbury, is seeking public comment on an exposure draft of the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Amendment Bill which was presented to the ACT Legislative Assembly.
“The Bill is about legislating for greater accountability and ensuring [...]

There was a pleasing deluge of questions for the new Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson to answer via email.
Sadly we can only send ten so I’ve had to cull them. I even missed out on getting my own questions in there.
Thanks to all who participated we look forward to getting the answers soon.
1. poetix
What is your [...]

Labor Senator Kate Lundy is banging the drum as to what a Liberal government could do to Canberra:
Tony Abbott has once again confirmed his plans to cut the federal public service – meaning 20,000 people would lose their jobs.
The policy if fully implemented would put 18 per cent of the city’s commonwealth workers out [...]

The saga of Steven Bailey’s Canberra candidacy for Katter’s Australian Party has taken another turn.
Moves within the party to expel Steven for thinking gay marriage wouldn’t be that bad have been rebuffed by the great man himself according to The Australian:
ACT Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) senate candidate Steve Bailey will not be disendorsed, the [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher has announced her latest moves to integrate the surrounding countryside:
ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Regional Development, Katy Gallagher, will move to establish a parliamentary committee to inquire into and advance the ambitions of region cooperation and collaboration for the greater capital region.
Through its work the committee would be able to assist [...]

The ABC reports that new Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson is backing his old boss (and the process to install him) in the race for Senate pre-selection.
It certainly would make things awkward in the party room if Zed were to fail in this tilt.

OK Rioters, the Liberals have a new leader and his office has agreed to answer your questions.
Let rip in the comments (brevity will be smiled upon) and I’ll pick ten questions to send over.

Andrew Barr has announcedM/a> the 2012-13 Budget Review for the ACT Government:
Today I presented to the Legislative Assembly the 2012-13 Budget Review, which confirms the Budget is on track to return to surplus on schedule in 2015-16.
The forecast General Government Sector Headline Net Operating Balance for 2012-13 is estimated to be a deficit of $362.9 [...]

The Liberals Alistair Coe is asking why the Government won’t answer basic questions about the Capital Metro light rail plan:
The information on light rail the Liberals sought answers to were:
– the timeline for the decision making and construction progress;
– the expected cost to taxpayers of pre-construction and construction;
– the predicted patronage, running costs and staffing [...]

Political circles are getting very excited by the Canberra Times reporting on Tony Abbott’s remarks last night on the pre-selection race.
Bearing in mind that the Times is basically the Mouth Of Gazza at this point in the race Abbott’s remarks are not as clear cut as they at first appear:
Mr Abbott praised Senator Humphries’ political [...]

The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment Bill 2013 was tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament today. Disturbingly, it hands to the ACT Legislative Assembly the power to determine the number of MLAs.
The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Australian Capital Territory (Self Government) Act 1988 (Cth) (the Act) to grant the Australian Capital [...]

The Canberra Times has an intriguing story on Simon Corbell announcing to the Assembly that his Office of Regulatory Services is investigating the Canberra Liberals.
This is curious.
In the article the Liberals say they know nothing about this.
The ORS media release page has nothing on this at the time of writing.
So Simon is in special communication [...]

Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh has compiled a vast laundry list of things that Commonwealth money has wrought in the northern half of Canberra (which is his electorate).
There are several old chestnuts the Liberals can be relied on to trot out every election year, and one of those that we hear so often in the [...]

Katy attempting to smear the new Liberal leader as a “bully” was the clumsiest tactic I have ever observed in Canberra local politics.
So clearly based on Julia Gillard’s UK campaign adviser’s work.
This attempt to drag ACT politics into the hideous federal bare knuckle-and-abuse parliamentary exchanges will not take her and her team anywhere. [...]

He may have lost the Battle of Mount Ainslie but Canberra still makes a better stage than the backwoods of rural Victoria Pastor Danny Nalliah normally lurks in.
News has a piece on yesterday’s party launch at the National Press Club:
Rise Up Australia will push for cuts to Australia’s “Muslim intake”, for an end to multiculturalism [...]

It’s a bit of a poser, Zed Seselja intends to draw a front bench Legislative Assembly salary to the last possible moment while running for the Senate (assuming he gets up in the pre-selection).
Should the Canberra community be indulging him in this?

Zed mooching around the Assembly to election day
Sure, why not
He really should [...]

There are two problems with the Canberra Times’ ongoing efforts to pre-empt democractic processes in their attempts to get around the moribund business of printing news on dead trees:
1) They get it wrong, all the time.
2) Their narrative robs the participants of democratic franchise
They should be judged very harshly for this.
But they’ll keep getting the [...]

Zed Seselja’s media advisor Emily Davis has announced there will be a press conference at 2pm.
(Yes exactly who is making the call is possibly significant)
Keep your eyes posted.

UPDATE: Jeremy Hanson is the leader, Alistair Coe as deputy.

It does make one wonder what Senator Humphries was playing at when he convinced the Canberra Times Alistair Coe [...]

The Canberra Times is reporting that a deal has been done to install Alistair Coe as leader of the opposition in return for his Young Liberal army of darkness backing Zed’s Senate tilt.
Zed of course has a vote in the party room today.
In 8 months time when Zed leaves the Assembly the numbers will change.
It’s [...]

Andrew Barr has announced he’s getting ready to sell off some silverware to balance his books:
The ACT Government will be commissioning a detailed review into future ownership and governance arrangements of ACTTAB.
A feasibility study will be undertaken to identify the full range of future ownership options and the issues associated with each. The various options [...]

Two moderately illuminating stories in the Canberra Times today on the Liberal Senate seat stoush.
The first is Gary Kent (former party president of the Gazza school) fulminating on all the things he coulda shoulda woulda gone and done, and still might if he had the numbers which he probably doesn’t.
This bit is worth repeating [...]