Explainer
What happened to RiotACT?
The short version: RiotACT rebranded to Region Canberra in 2025 and is now part of a larger national network of Region-branded local sites. Here's what changed, and what didn't.
The rebrand
For two decades, the RiotACT was Canberra's best-known independent news website. In 2025, its parent company rolled the site into a national group of regional news brands and rebranded it as Region Canberra. The masthead, URL conventions and tone shifted to match the rest of the Region network.
What that meant
The Canberra coverage that long-time RiotACT readers were used to is now produced and presented as part of a wider, multi-region operation. That's a legitimate business decision; it just means Canberra is one part of a larger publishing group, rather than a single-city, independent masthead.
Where that leaves Canberra
It leaves a real gap for a small, single-city, independent news source — one that exists only to cover the ACT, with no corporate parent and no paywall.
That's why we built this
What's On Canberra is the independent, free alternative.
- · Independently owned in Canberra. No national network.
- · Free to read. No paywall, ever.
- · Local focus: news, planning, property, what's on, community.
- · One free email a week, if you want it.
A note on respect
The RiotACT did important work for Canberra for a long time, and many of its journalists continue to write for Region Canberra today. This page exists to answer a question we are asked constantly — not to take a shot at anyone.
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Free. Independent. No paywall, ever.