Words & TermsPolitics and public life
Canberra bashing
Criticism of the Australian Government, its bureaucracy or the national capital.
In a sentence
The minister dismissed the editorial as routine Canberra bashing.
Where it came from
Canberra bashing developed in political journalism for attacks on the federal government, bureaucracy or capital. The label can blur criticism of institutions with criticism of the city itself.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established
- Use today
- Current