Scott Morrison walked to the podium minutes before the broadcast began.
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Brandishing a copy of the welfare review he had just released, he grinned - totally unfazed by the flashbulbs that were exploding in his face.
For the next hour, he held court at the National Press Club.
Ministerial appearances on this stage can be underwhelming shows (just think of Tony Abbott's season opener this month). But Morrison almost appeared to be enjoying himself.
He talked from slides instead of reading an entire speech. He smiled. He joked. People even laughed.
He got the room going early by weaving a Kevin Rudd joke into his discussion about the labyrinth-like welfare payment system.
"None of these lack programmatic specificity," he said to knowing titters in the room.
Later, there were deep chuckles when he talked on the importance of older people staying at work if they were happy and healthy.
"It's good for you, it's good for your family, it's good for the country and every Christmas, the grandchildren will be stoked, absolutely stoked!"
In among this, he had a clear message: welfare spending needs to be reformed and the best way to do that is to get people of all ages into jobs.
Another clear message from the Social Services Minister was that he is now responsible for a third of the federal budget. A fact he is already fond of emphasising.
The subtext here is that this is a guy who can be trusted with lots of money. And lots of responsibility. As one audience member later observed, his performance was not just a policy address but an audition for a much more senior role.
What got a bit lost in all of this was the detail of the long-awaited McClure review into the welfare system.
Morrison's address came over the top of its Wednesday release like a wave. While he referred to its call for a simpler and less costly system, his address largely dwelt on his own ideas.
This was made easier by the fact the report sets out a long-term framework and does not contain budget figures or payment levels - thus allowing Morrison to have a conversation about principles rather than get down to the nuts, bolts and dollar signs.
Morrison also used his address to call for more intelligent policy debates around welfare and childcare.
But the man with the grin is oh-so surely ensuring they will be on his terms.
