At a time when trust in government is low, and cynicism about politicians is high, our public representatives have just lost one of their greatest defenders - and most of them wouldn't even realise.
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After 25 years of service as a tour guide at Parliament House, 79-year-old Gina Hall has handed in her lanyard, retiring from the job last week.
After leading groups of students and adults through the halls of power for a quarter of a century, Ms Hall says one of her favourite things about the job was convincing the cynics, the ones who had no time for politics, that what happened inside those walls was important, and worth paying attention to.
"I loved turning the public's view of politics around - when they came in kind of cynical and I would try and convert them to say how important the Parliament, the House and the Senate were to us," she says.
And more often than not, Ms Hall says she was successful.
"But mainly I'd like taking the school children around, I'd sit them on the ground and talk to them about the portraits of the prime ministers, I had stories on them all I could remember from way back."
Recounting Bob Hawke's celebration of the America's Cup is one of Ms Hall's favourite stories for tour groups while standing at his portrait.
That doesn't mean Ms Hall was always a political junkie - things have changed a fair bit since she was first aware of the goings on in the capital.
"When I was in Melbourne my father loved Mr Menzies and I had to listen to question time on the radio and I wanted to listen to rock 'n' roll on the other stations.
"But I had to listen to parliament and I was not very happy about that. But once I got the job I became very interested in politics."
Growing up in Victoria, Ms Hall first worked as a teacher in Point Cook, before moving on to the Air Force, ending up as an "admino" before retiring in 1994. She then answered an advertisement in the public service gazette for tour guides at the then fresh and new Parliament House.
"That's when my friends were very rude and said 'fancy paying me to talk'."
And talk she has, with Ms Hall becoming a bit of a celebrity at Parliament - one who cops a lot of ribbing for supporting Collingwood, but who people gravitate towards.
Ms Hall has some good news for the politicians as she exits the building - there's fewer cynics for her to convert these days.
People care more for the building, and have more interest in its inhabitants.
"People are more interested in politics nowadays. Television and watching parliament and question time might have had something to do with that."
Sally Whyte
I report on a range of issues in federal politics and the public service, with a real passion for how decisions made in Canberra affect the lives of Australians.
I report on a range of issues in federal politics and the public service, with a real passion for how decisions made in Canberra affect the lives of Australians.
