Midwinter Ball 2026 live: Politicians and their partners let their hair down in ballgowns and black ties for Canberra's top gala event - as one of Anthony Albanese critics makes winning bid in charity auction

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Australia's top politicians - and political journalists - are meeting in Canberra for the Midwinter Ball.  The Midwinter Ball, which takes place inside Parliament House, is traditionally held in the third week of June. This year, the ball falls on Wednesday, July 1. Attendees will dazzle on the grand marble staircase in Parliament's lobby before being treated to a three-course dinner. The event includes speeches from political bigwigs, including the Prime Minister, and the results of a charity auction. Items up for grabs this year include a private tennis match with Anthony Albanese, a 'wine and dine' experience with Angus Taylor and a trip to Canberra's Floating Saunas with David Pocock. Follow Daily Mail's live coverage of the event below.  One of the items up for auction on Wednesday night was a private tennis match with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Award-winning mortgage broker Joseph Daoud, an outspoken critic of Albanese's recent tax changes to investments, won the competition. As of 6pm, Daoud had bid $16,500 on the match against Albanese. Daoud recently spent $17,500 on a billboard campaign attacking the PM’s 'ambition tax'. Under the Federal Budget, Albanese wiped the capital gains tax discount and a system which allowed property investors to claim back the expenses of their properties. Bids for the auction closed at 5pm. ABC Chair Kim Williams has arrived at the ball alongside Deputy Chair Lisa Caffery. One Nation leader, senator Pauline Hanson, will not attend this year's Midwinter Ball. The outspoken politician was noticeably absent from the attendees list. However, her right-hand man, Barnaby Joyce, is expected to arrive at the event soon. Also seated at Joyce's table is Andrew Hastie - who Joyce's party, One Nation, recently launched a scathing attack against. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.