Media

The Press Gallery Strikes Again + The Push To Silence Doctors and Nurses

The regulator for healthcare workers makes an awkward defence of its policy to silence workers, and the Midwinter ball serves up the mediocrity we've come to expect.

, and Osman Faruqi , and Scott Mitchell

3 Jul 2026 · 2:46pm

4 min read

The National Press Club Does It Again

One of the oldest jokes in Australian political journalism is to look at photos of the annual Midwinter Ball fundraiser held in Parliament House and reaffirm that politics is, indeed, show business for ugly people.

Obviously, we would never stoop that low, because we have more important things to talk about. But first, a quick refresher on the event: Every year, the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery (not to be confused with the National Press Club, though they have a lot of overlapping membership) hosts a soiree in Parliament, attended by politicians, lobbyists and journalists.

The event raises money for a number of charities, but is really an opportunity for our political class to get together and remind themselves, and the rest of us, that they are actually all buddies. The wildest thing? They don't even try to hide it, with politicians and journalists alike sharing happy snaps with one another.

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