Usually when this point in the political cycle rolls around, I get extremely frustrated with conversations I hear and read about voting for no-one, drawing images on the ballot papers and a general indifference to the entire process.
Thankfully, the ‘Donkey Vote’ chatter has been minimal this time around.
Maybe it is due to the heightened position reserved for politicians in the wider public consciousness over the length of the pandemic, where state and federal officials appeared on the screens of the nation at regular intervals every day.
Maybe, in Nicholls, it is because of the strong race for a seat in Canberra currently being run.
But whatever the reason, it is promising to see the high level of engagement of the public in the political landscape.
Because throwing away your democratic duty is just about the last thing on the list of tasks you should be completing this week.
More pertinent is deciding who you should vote for, and where your preferences will flow after that.
Also on the agenda is scoping out which polling booth in town will have the best array of democracy sausages to consume after you make your democratic decision.
But more on those delicacies later in the week.
I’ll leave you with an insight into what life is like as the daughter of a journalist.
I took Eden, 4, to her dancing class over the weekend and, as we often do afterwards, headed to the ice cream shop via the playground.
After procuring herself a bubblegum flavoured treat — or ‘the one with the marshmallows on it’ — Eden looked at me curiously when I myself skipped the ordering process and reached for my wallet.
“Are you not having any today, Dad?” she asked.
I told her that no, I was not — I am trying to fit into my wedding suit later this year after all.
“But they have your favourite coffee flavour,” she proclaimed, pointing to the espresso tub, which was sprinkled with coffee beans.
Clearly it’s not just the ice cream I need to cut back on.
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