Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery President Phil Hudson said Thursday Chalmers died of prostate cancer at a nursing home near Canberra on Wednesday less than two weeks after his final edition of the weekly newsletter “Inside Canberra” was published.

Chalmers on Monday announced his retirement from the gallery that he joined as a 21-year-old reporter for a Sydney afternoon tabloid in 1951.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard described him as one of Australia’s great political reporters.