Time waits for no one. But if you've got an appointment with Julia Gillard, chances are, you've spent some time waiting for the Prime Minister.
Yesterday, in a textbook case of the phenomenon, Gillard was more than 30 minutes late for her own press conference. In real terms, that's more than half an episode of Q&A or an entire Press Club address!
As journalists were kept waiting, waiting, waiting in Parliament's Blue Room - checking various mobile devices and practising their pen-tapping skills - someone floated the idea that the presser was a hoax.
Maybe Kevin Rudd was challenging right this minute and the Blue Room was a ploy to get the media out of the way!
Ha, ha, ha, the group chuckled, with only the merest hint of paranoia.
Thankfully, Gillard put everyone - and their biros - at ease when she bustled into the room a few minutes later to talk about satellites and motor cars.
If the link between the two issues is not immediately obvious, here's a hint: everything the government says at the moment gets back to the Australian economy. And I do mean everything.
If they don't make the surplus in the May budget it won't be for a lack of mentioning it.
Now the Prime Minister can get away with such behaviour because unless Madonna calls a press conference in the Senate courtyard, no one else has anything better to do.
But wayward MPs beware: there is a new paradigm in town - for real this time.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the difference between Harry Jenkins and Peter Slipper goes beyond their policy towards robes.
For one thing, while Jenkins was prone to hit the higher octaves - especially when perturbed - Speaker Peter stays firmly in the baritone range.
Even when the going gets tetchy, Speaker Peter keeps his voice deep and radio-worthy.
Not that things ever really get tetchy. Yesterday, a grand total of zero MPs were kicked out during question time and there was a noticeable ''Order!!!'' deficit in the house.
No, Speaker Peter doesn't shout, he simply reminds the house how to behave.
As the PM was tackling yet another question about the Australia Day protest yesterday, the opposition began to ark up.
In that broadcast baritone, Speaker Peter calmly declared: ''The question asked of the Prime Minister is a very important one and the Prime Minister is entitled to be heard entirely in silence.'' That was that.
Speaker Peter also had no qualms about using his authority to bring Wayne Swan and Peter Garrett back to the point. Or asking Sophie Mirabella to ''remain silent and cease pointing''.
Used to spending question time combusting about procedure, ''Albo'' and ''Pyne-o'' were made more or less redundant.
For his part, Jenkins slouched away on the backbench, leg dangling in the aisle.
He didn't say a word.
But he must have been wondering - is it the robe?
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