The Canberra Times will re-establish an independent federal political bureau as it expands its coverage of national politics and the public service.
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From June 17, a team of experienced reporters will work from The Canberra Times offices in Fyshwick and at Parliament House to provide coverage of federal politics and the public sector that is specifically tailored for audiences who live and work in the national capital.
The team will initially comprise six reporters. Kirsten Lawson, Sally Whyte and Katie Burgess will be based at Parliament, while Doug Dingwall, Daniel Burdon and Markus Mannheim will work primarily from The Canberra Times newsroom. Deputy editor Scott Hannaford will lead the team.
This will be good for the paper and the local Canberra community.
- Michelle Grattan
Canberra Times editor Grant Newton said expanding coverage of the public sector and re-establishing a political bureau showed the importance of those topics to Canberra audiences.
"Our masthead motto is about serving the national city, and that means an outward-looking Canberra that is highly engaged in the decisions that affect the country,'' Newton said.
"We know also how much of our city is engaged in important public service work and they look to us to keep them informed about their sector. This is why we have assigned a team of experienced and highly capable staff to cover these areas that are core to our mission.''
The Canberra Times has published federal politics coverage and analysis produced by Fairfax Media's press gallery bureau since 2012, when a number of journalists from the standalone bureaus of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times were brought together as a national reporting team.
A content-sharing agreement involving The Canberra Times, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age is in place until later this year.
Revered political reporter and former Canberra Times editor Michelle Grattan welcomed the revival of a standalone bureau.
"I am delighted that The Canberra Times is re-establishing an independent federal political team. This will be good for the paper and the local Canberra community, and for diversity in the media voices covering national politics."
Political reporter Kirsten Lawson returns to a federal parliamentary role after stints as chief reporter covering the ACT Assembly and, more recently, as The Canberra Times news director.
In another senior appointment, former Sunday Canberra Times editor Meredith Clisby will replace Lawson as news director.
Reporters Dan Jervis-Bardy and Daniella White will move to covering the ACT Assembly, replacing colleagues Katie Burgess and Daniel Burdon when they join the federal politics and public sector team.
Markus Mannheim will lead the public sector reporting efforts of Burdon and Doug Dingwall, while continuing to edit Public Sector Informant.
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