Global political publisher POLITICO will expand into Australia, launching a Canberra-based operation and a new Canberra Playbook when Federal Parliament returns from its winter recess in the third quarter of 2026.
Founded in Washington in 2007, POLITICO built its reputation on covering the intersection of politics, policy and power.
In the United States, it is known for breaking major political stories and agenda-setting investigations, including reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop controversy that reverberated across Washington and beyond.
It expanded into Europe a decade later, establishing a significant presence in Brussels and across the continent.
Now, the publisher is turning its attention to Australia.
Hunter Biden. Source: Supplied
“POLITICO’s expansion to Australia is natural. We will deliver the same essential US and European coverage that our audiences in the Western Hemisphere depend on. And we will be even better positioned to help readers around the globe understand important economic and geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific, from trade and defence to energy and critical minerals,” POLITICO Chief Executive Officer Goli Sheikholeslami said.
“This investment in a third continent underscores how POLITICO enters its third decade as a strong, successful, and growing news organisation, committed to linking international power centres and illuminating politics, power, and policy on a global scale.”
The Australian operation will aim to serve what the company describes as the country’s most influential audiences, while also helping readers in North America and Europe better understand decisions made in Australia and their global impact.
POLITICO Chief Executive Officer Goli Sheikholeslami.
Ryan Heath returns to lead the launch
Leading the expansion is POLITICO alum Ryan Heath, who returns to the publisher as Launch Editor for Australia.
Heath previously launched Brussels Playbook in 2015 and played a central role in establishing POLITICO as a must-read in European political circles. In Australia, he will oversee the editorial build-out, assemble the founding newsroom team and initially author the Canberra Playbook.
“Australians need journalism that both explains power dynamics and connects the dots globally. That’s why I’m so excited to help lead POLITICO’s expansion into my home country,” Heath said.
“In this era of great power and technology upheavals, POLITICO’s ability to examine Australia’s most important security and trade relationships is unrivalled. We take politicians and policy seriously – it’s all we do. We will bring that depth and new angles to political journalism in Canberra, just as we have everywhere else we operate.”
The Playbook model comes to Canberra
The Canberra Playbook will follow the model established in Washington and Brussels: early-morning, agenda-setting coverage aimed squarely at policymakers, advisers, lobbyists and corporate decision-makers.
For the local media market, the launch adds another specialist political player in a capital already served by legacy mastheads, broadcasters and a growing cohort of digital-first operators. For POLITICO, it strengthens its strategy of linking power centres across North America, Europe and now the Indo-Pacific.
The company says its Australian edition will maintain its “distinctive, non-partisan” approach, focused on insider reporting and policy detail.
With Parliament set to return in the third quarter of 2026, the countdown to Canberra Playbook is now underway.