There was a twinge of collective anxiety among those travelling to the nation’s capital for Jim Chalmers’ fourth budget. What if everyone else has better things to do with their time? Is this feeling creeping social death? Oh, there’s Wayne Swan.

He may not be delivering his own budgets any more, but that didn’t stop Swanny inserting himself into the proceedings. His thunderous laps of parliament’s timber floorboards conjured images of a retiring great circling the MCG on AFL grand final day in the back of a HiLux. The Cbus warhorse waving to the crowd. The fans are superannuation lobbyists.