Should Canberra move to Adelaide? ABC Adelaide
On the back of a media release put out by Gary Morgan’s CEO Michelle Levine, exploring the notion of Canberra and Canberran’s being too isolated from real Australian’s to offer effective government and instead suggesting that Canberra and its 150,000 public servants be packed up and moved to Adelaide, Sonya Feldoff of ABC Adelaide wanted to explore this with Michelle and asked me to join the on-air debate.
My first response was it isn’t real and doesn’t make sense, but Michelle was adamant and saw great merit in getting the relocation experts in and suggested Adelaide because it is in dire need of job stimulus and new direction. As interesting as this idea is, the one thing I’m sure you would pack into your official government boxes along with all your furniture and files is your government way of being.
The public service and bureaucracy seem to be the same the world over regardless of how central of isolated how large or how small, how efficient or inefficient, how transparent or corrupt, they all seem to develop their own code of silence, their own way of being and their own unique approach to interacting with the world and those they serve.
Physically moving people may change the view from their window, but it will not change their view of the world.
Red tape, strange decisions and a them and us mentality will surely follow wherever they go.
If we play this strange what if scenario out to its preposterous conclusion, what happens to the people who remain in Canberra after the move and are we not setting Canberra up as the next lost ghetto.
My preference instead of moving Canberra is to explore a new way of getting Canberran’s and public servants to engage with the world, to look at tomorrow’s landscape of employment, Artificial Intelligence, Robots and other horizon landscapes and ask to do we need public servants long-term, what is the purpose and role of governments in tomorrow’s world and perhaps a hyperloop or fast train allowing Canberran’s quicker access to the outside world and the outside world to it, might just give them a different perspective on the world ahead.
Lots of caller interest, a lively debate (22 minutes 35 seconds), well worth a listen and then let me know your thoughts on the debate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should Australia move its capital from Canberra to Adelaide?
It’s a genuinely interesting foresight question — not because it’s likely, but because asking it forces you to examine what a capital city is actually for. Symbolic centre? Administrative hub? Economic anchor? Each answer produces a different verdict.
Q: What would it take to relocate a national capital?
Political will, massive infrastructure investment, and a compelling case that the current arrangement is failing. Australia has moved major functions before — but the full relocation of a capital is a generation-long project, not a policy decision.
Q: What does this debate reveal about Australian governance?
That geography still shapes politics in ways that post-internet thinking underestimates. The tension between Canberra and the rest of Australia reflects a genuine question about where decisions should be made — a Decision Trust Zone™ issue at national scale.
Q: Can Morris Misel speak about governance futures and national strategy?
Yes. For keynotes on governance, policy foresight, and the future of institutions, visit morrismisel.com/event-organisers.
On the back of a media release put out by Gary Morgan’s CEO Michelle Levine, exploring the notion of Canberra and Canberran’s being too isolated from real Australian’s to offer effective government and instead suggesting that Canberra and its 150,000 public servants be packed up .
When signals like Should Canberra move to Adelaide emerge, organisations that engage early have the advantage of choosing their response rather than reacting to events. That gap between those who prepared and those who did not is where competitive positioning is actually made or lost.
The most important question is not whether Should Canberra move to Adelaide will matter, but how quickly it will matter in your specific context. Leaders benefit most from mapping the ripple effects early — not just the direct impact but the second and third-order consequences that arrive later and hit harder. That is the practical work of foresight.
