Sunday 1 November 2026The Prime Minister begins talks with King Charles and Commonwealth leaders as the domestic focus stays on inflation and interest rates.
Featured image: Photo by Dr. Thomas Liptak (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative image of English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua.
Key facts
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
- He is due to meet King Charles, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other leaders.
- Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australian prime ministers have always attended the meeting.
- The Reserve Bank was widely expected to raise interest rates later that week.
- The government said no area of spending is off limits as it looks for savings.
The Prime Minister arrives
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Antigua and Barbuda on Sunday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, known as CHOGM, a gathering of leaders from the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth. He is due to hold talks with King Charles and with other leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, SBS News reported.
Government defends the trip
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the meeting is an important engagement that Australian prime ministers have always attended, and that nobody seriously suggests Mr Albanese should stay away. Mr Marles also noted that the Commonwealth, not the Australian Government, sets the timing of the meeting.
Coalition Treasury spokesman Tim Wilson had questioned whether the Prime Minister should travel while Australians are under cost-of-living pressure. Mr Marles described that criticism as unreasonable.
Economic pressure at home
The visit comes as the Reserve Bank of Australia was widely expected to raise the cash rate at its meeting that week, after inflation in the year to September came in higher than forecast. SBS News reported that the price pressures are being linked largely to a Middle East oil shock and to AI-related investment, factors that sit mostly outside the control of Canberra.
The government has said no area of spending is off limits in the search for savings, and it has been urged to tighten spending in the mid-year budget update due in December.
What happens next
Mr Albanese was due to begin his talks with the King and other leaders in Antigua and Barbuda. At home, attention turns to the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision on Tuesday 3 November and to the December budget update.
More from this day: News Today: 1 November 2026, Australia and World Headlines
