Should Albanese live in The Lodge? An ACT MP thinks so

But Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese should make the capital his home if Labor forms government, the member for Bean, Labor MP David Smith, has said in the first local debate of the election campaign.

In a National Press Club room full of hospitality and hotel workers, representatives pushed Liberal Senator Zed Seselja and Mr Smith on whether the capital was taken for granted.

Mr Smith suggested a way to resolve the ACT being taken for granted - beyond becoming a marginal seat - was making the Lodge the permanent residence for the Prime Minister.

"I'll tell you what might help, it might be having a prime minister who actually calls Canberra home, who actually lives as part of the Canberra community, that might actually be a pretty decent start," he said.

Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum chair David Marshall asked a follow-up question on the decentralisation of the public service and added if Mr Smith was confirming opposition leader Anthony Albanese would live in the Lodge.

At first jokes flew around the room, as Mr Smith imitated speaking to the Labor leader through his watch and saying if it were up to him, he would have "nominated Tuggeranong Homestead", a prominent historical home in his southern-ACT electorate.

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Mr Marshall pressed on, saying "it becomes a serious question" for Canberra being properly represented as the capital city and whether the possible future Prime Minister would live in the city.

The member for Bean answered more seriously, saying it was a "crazy approach" living away from the ACT. He said "if you want the job, it's based here" and leaders make a decision to not "front up" living in Canberra and "actually do your job here."

In an even more exciting development for the local event, former leader of the Labor party Bill Shorten had walked into the room, Senator Seselja took the opportunity to ask "Bill would you have lived in the Lodge?"

Unimpressed with the heckling, Mr Shorten, sarcastically responded saying ,"Sure I would have lived in The Lodge". Senator Seselja later apologised publicly for being rude to Mr Shorten, who led the Labor party to electoral defeat at the 2016 and 2019 elections.

In September 2021, Mr Albanese had told Hit 104.7 he enjoyed staying in Canberra but left the question on whether he would live in the lodge unanswered.

The Canberra Times followed his office up on the question but they did not comment back in September.

The Lodge was the assumed residency of the prime minister since Joseph Lyons called it home as prime minister in 1939, except for Earle Page, Frank Forde and John McEwan, who all served as caretaker prime ministers.

Stanley Bruce was the first prime minister to call The Lodge home, arriving in May 1927 just before the opening of Parliament House in the fledgling capital. James Scullin, Bruce's successor, objected to the cost of running the Lodge and lived at the Hotel Canberra.

Labor prime minister Ben Chifley also chose to live at the Hotel Kurrajong in Barton, where he died from a heart attack in 1951.

Every prime minister between 1949 and 1996 lived at The Lodge. John Howard chose to live at Kirribilli House from 1996 on Sydney Harbour.

It was extensively renovated during Tony Abbott's prime ministership before Malcolm Turnbull moved in in April 2018. Scott Morrison lives primarily with his family at Kirribilli House and is in residence at The Lodge when in Canberra.

This has sparked controversy within Canberra as the growing line of Sydney-based prime ministers created feelings of "rudeness" towards the city the nation chose as its capital.