About Ian Bushnell
Ian Bushnell is a career journalist and a former News Editor and Chief of Reporting staff at The Canberra Times, where he was at the centre of some of the capital’s biggest stories.
A Canberra resident since 1995, he and his partner have raised three children here and takes a keen interest in politics, urban development, health, education and sustainability issues.
He has found Canberra to be the most liveable city in Australia, and that it’s a reputation worth fighting for.
He enjoys the ACT’s bush environment and its rich cultural offerings including music, theatre and sport, although as a Collingwood supporter the Giants will always be that other Sydney team.
A lover of fine reds, he believes Canberra is blessed to have so many great wineries on our doorstep.
All Articles
News
The coronavirus public health emergency has forced the ACT Government to call off Canberra's premier tourism event, Floriade, despite it being more than six months away. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the government could not guarantee the health and safety of all those involved and it was not logistically possible to proceed. "After careful consideration, the ACT Government has decided...
Opinion
Well, the PM's lecture on hoarding and panic buying went down well. Queues at supermarkets and even the markets, the buying extending to perishables and regional supermarkets banning outsiders from the aisles – that was the response across the Canberra region, and everywhere else. If anything the rush on shopping centres and even the Fyshwick markets in Canberra gathered apace....
News
As supermarkets shelves continue to be emptied of toilet paper, hand sanitisers, and dry and canned foods, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has bluntly told Australians to stop hoarding and panic buying. While not waving a big stick yet, Mr Morrison called it un-Australian and a distraction from other measures and efforts to maintain supply chains into shopping centres. "It is...
Health & Wellbeing
Emma Kemp knows she is one of the lucky ones. Not only did she beat ovarian cancer, but she did not lose her fertility in the process. The 33-year-old University of Canberra Hospital nurse is now paying it forward, getting the message out about a disease that is often detected late and only has a 46 per cent five-year survival...
News
Isabella Plains couple Brian and Katie Meilak moved to Queensland in 2015 to access autism services for their son Zachary, but now a new autism hub in Canberra will mean families in the region will get the help they need here in the national capital. The world-class autism hub, with $3.5 million in capital funding from the John James Foundation and owned and...
What's On
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra will return to Queanbeyan this weekend for its annual Music by the River concert, a free outdoor performance of classical favourites. The family-friendly event at Queen Elizabeth II Park on the banks of the Queanbeyan River on Saturday evening is presented by Icon Water in partnership with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC). Led by concertmaster Kirsten Williams, Music...
News
Canberra Airport is expecting to clinch direct connections to China, New Zealand and Vanuatu within the next eight years and double daily flight movements by 2040, according to its new Master Plan. The Federal Government has announced that the Airport's 2020 Master Plan has been approved, and the airport expects to release it to the public on 5 March after...
Arts & Culture
This year's National Folk Festival will acknowledge the devastating impact of the summer's bushfires with a special concert and fundraising efforts across the Easter weekend. Speaking at Tuesday's launch of the 54th National Folk Festival at Gorman House in Canberra, festival managing director Helen Roben said it would be a heartfelt response to the summer's tragedies. "We have reached out...
News
Professor Brian Schmidt has been reappointed for another five years as vice-chancellor of the Australian National University after a "stellar" first term. ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop said Professor Schmidt, the only university president in the world today to hold a Nobel Prize, had the vision and leadership to drive the ANU's bold strategy to 2025. “Brian has unique standing in...
Opinion
I was listening to the news on the radio driving back to the office the other day and there was Donald Trump mouthing off about his impeachment trial and how it was all fake news. I'm thinking, this guy is President of the United States, supposedly the greatest democracy in the world, and this is the model for leadership? He...
News
Former Director of the Australian War Memorial Dr Brendan Nelson has been appointed the next president of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific. Dr Nelson landed the plum job just weeks after leaving the AWM at the end of the year, although he had announced his departure in August. He will take up the Sydney-based role on 11 February...
Opinion
We have just passed another bushfire milestone in the ACT. It's 17 years since that fateful January day in 2003 when the unthinkable happened and 500 homes and four people perished in the flames that roared down from the mountains. Many still live with the trauma of that day and the beat of a helicopter or a whiff of smoke...
News
A new service to help small and medium-sized food producers in the region become exporters has been launched in Canberra. Not-for-profit Agribusiness Regional Development Association (ARDA) says the Capital Region Export Hub (CREH) aims to boost the export value of businesses in the Capital Region and Southern NSW by $1 billion by 2025. It says the end-to-end service will help small and...
Opinion
It's only to be expected but the calls for a greater slash and burn approach to the landscape have come thick and fast during the ongoing bushfire crisis, given prominence on the usual platforms that play down the links to climate change and global warming. One can understand the logic – reduce the fuel and you reduce the fire, but...
News
Harris Scarfe's Nowra store will close its doors as part of a nationwide shutdown of 21 outlets in preparation for a sale of the pared-back retail business. The Merimbula, Moruya, Ulladulla and Shellharbour stores will continue to trade. News of the closures comes a month after the business went into voluntary administration and Deloitte was appointed receivers, just before Christmas....
News
Both Canberra and Queanbeyan will forego their Australia Day fireworks displays to focus on funding for bushfire relief. The ACT Government says a morning concert in Commonwealth Park to raise funds for those impacted by bushfires will be the focus of Canberra’s Australia Day celebrations this year, replacing the annual fireworks show along Lake Burley Griffin. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor Councillor...