Gatecrashers aren't typically associated with the political realm. After all, what's to crash?
There are no oversized pool parties, celebrity weddings or VIP lounge areas in Canberra. Not in huge supply, anyway.
And yet Parliament House is awash with unexpected visitors at the moment. Those who aren't on the invite list - but who rock up anyway, with an air of ''Yeah, I'm totally supposed to be here ... are you?''
Yesterday, the Issue of the Day was health insurance and the many noodle-bending calculations involved there. However, for Simon Crean and his sidekick, Climate Change Parliamentary Secretary Mark Dreyfus, it was all about Australia's Clean Energy Future.
With Greg Combet away on sick leave, it was up to Dreyfus to keep the government's carbon tax agenda on the boil.
So the duo duly appeared in the parliamentary grounds at morning tea time to announce $340 million to help communities make the switch to the tax they call carbon.
But as the media pack huddled around the Clean Energy Crusaders, wondering how to get a word in edgewise (no one can do a question-deflecting waffle better than Crean), Bill Heffernan sauntered by.
Usually when people see a TV camera they dart nervously to the side - either because they don't want to ruin the shot or because they don't want to be filmed.
But Heffernan had no qualms about meandering right into proceedings. First he inspected the promotional signs (nice use of purple!) and then he stood over Dreyfus' shoulder to listen in.
For a second there, the Liberal Senator looked dangerously close to butting in. But in a display of supreme personal discipline, he gave Crean a friendly pat on the shoulder and was on his way.
Unlike the prairies of the parliamentary grounds, the floor of the House of Representatives is almost impossible to gatecrash, thanks to bouncers on every door and a strict seating plan. If you want to be an interloper, you're better off in the public galleries.
But as we are learning, ''almost impossible'' is not enough to deter Peter Slipper - the National-turned-Liberal-turned-Liberal National-turned Independent keeping a Labor Government afloat. In question time yesterday, Speaker Peter dodged the door policy and turned up with a friend. It didn't say anything but it didn't have to: the sheer gloriousness of that big white bow tie spoke for itself.
And even if the bow had said anything, it would have struggled to be heard in the most shouty question time of the week.
Kevin Rudd yelled at Julie Bishop, Bishop yelled at Julia Gillard and Gillard yelled at everyone about the economy.
It was left to Anthony Albanese to yell out the finale as he responded to (yes, yes, yet another) censure motion.
Training his eye on the gatecrasher Labor desperately wants to keep from The Lodge, Albo borrowed a tried and tested line from the United States politics songbook: ''In your guts, you know he's nuts!''
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