Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will spend most of his time at The Lodge, but has stopped short of making a commitment to call Canberra home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The future residence of the newly-elected prime minister has fuelled speculation as Canberra's famous building sits empty once again.
"I'll spend most of my time, I am sure, in The Lodge in Canberra," Mr Albanese told 2Day FM on Friday morning.
"My son, of course, is still studying at uni here in Sydney. And anyway, we'll work those things through. I kind of have been a bit busy in the last week. Sworn in on Monday and headed straight to Tokyo for the Quad Leaders' meeting."
The Lodge has traditionally been the official residence of the prime minister, however, John Howard made the move to Kirribilli House in Sydney, and Scott Morrison followed suit.
Recent polling from the Australia Institute found that 57 per cent of Australians agree the prime minister should live in The Lodge. This is compared to 20 per cent who said they disagree.
The polling found that Coalition voters were most likely to agree that the prime minister should reside at The Lodge.
After a near-unbroken run hosting prime ministers for 70 years, leaders have mainly chosen Kirribilli House over The Lodge for the past two decades.
While Mr Morrison never called the historical building home, he did end up spending more time in The Lodge than he bargained for. The former prime minister spent two weeks in isolation there in late 2021 when he returned from a trip to the United States. It was also the venue for a well-publicised stay when treasurer Josh Frydenberg temporarily moved into the building with Mr Morrison after the ACT went into lockdown in October 2021.
Malcolm Turnbull lived there while working in Canberra, but began his term in office saying his Point Piper mansion would remain home. He never moved into Kirribilli House.
Tony Abbott was unable to live in The Lodge due to renovations and resided in an apartment at the Australian Federal Police training college when in Canberra.
Meanwhile, previous Labor prime ministers have generally favoured living in Canberra with Mr Albanese expected to follow the tradition.
The new Prime Minister previously evaded questions on the topic.
When asked in April if his dog, Toto, would reside in Canberra, Mr Albanese didn't give a clear answer.
"One thing that I do know is that wherever I go, Toto will be going with me," Mr Albanese said last week.
READ ALSO:
Chair of the Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum David Marshall is passionate about prime ministers moving into The Lodge. He says it sends an important signal to the rest of the country.
"Sadly, Kirribilli has become the default home for the prime minister," he said.
"The capital is where the government should be, that's where the rightful place is and it should be the prerequisite. It's outrageous that they decide to live on Sydney Harbour.
"When a prime minister lives in the nation's capital it highlights the significance of Canberra and what it stands for."
