Thanks to the Greens' position on asylum seekers and a high carbon price, Tony Abbott is set to cruise into government with a large margin and a mandate to repeal the carbon tax.

If there's an engine room of political power in Australia, it's cabinet. And like most engine rooms, it's hidden out of sight, its operations little understood by the rest of us.

Hugh White is one of the nation's most listened-to defence strategists. For decades, he's been helping shape Australia's foreign policy from all the places that count: media, politics and the public service.

Who are the intellectuals most influencing our public debate? Next week we're counting down the Top 10 Most Powerful Thinkers. Here, Tom Cowie presents the shortlist.

There's nary a power player in Australia who hasn't passed through Aussies – the legendary cafe that lies deep inside Parliament House in Canberra.

Simon Banks understands the Labor Party better than any other lobbyist. He's worked on five ALP federal election campaigns, was Kevin Rudd's chief of staff and helped broker the deal between the independents and the Gillard government.

Canberra royalty descended on the Great Hall of Parliament House last night for a state dinner welcoming the arrival of US president Barack Obama. So who showed up? Here's a few names to get you started: Demetriou, Ridout, Kearney.

It's no surprise that he's our most powerful Money Mover. But he doesn't really deserve to be.

It was Shorten who marshalled the numbers for Gillard, working two mobile phones from a Canberra restaurant on the night of the ALP leadership spill. And Shorten still retains the power to do it all over again.

Bill Ludwig is the most feared political fixer in Australia and among the most brutal. When Kevin Rudd called for the Labor Party to be purged of 'right-wing thugs' it was Ludwig he had in mind.