On a Wednesday evening in late June, the corridors of Parliament House were a-buzz with an unusual kind of excitement. A pair of Wiggles were there to perform, and pose for pics with MPs, ahead of musical performances from big-name Aussie music stars Lime Cordiale and Budjerah.

The no-expenses-spared party was a showcase bankrolled by tech giant Google, as an unsubtle part of an ongoing push to remind the government of just how big and important it is, and how much we’d all miss them if they were gone.