Humour has been used to great effect in Australian politics. When done well,it explains. It captures the imagination. It defuses tension,builds consensus and gives life to otherwise abstract policy. When the electorate laughs,they are saying they understand.
"Have one for mum,one for dad and one for the country",urged former treasurer Peter Costello when seeking to bring home,literally,the realities of Australia's growth and ageing challenges.
Former prime minister Paul Keating's florid portrayals of his political opponents may have lacked similar nation-building verve,but are unmatched in their withering intensity.
"He's all tip and no iceberg,"he said of Costello at the tail-end of the Howard government. And"I want to do you slowly",Keating retorted,when rejecting one-time opposition leader John Hewson's taunt to call an early election.