On Wednesday, she dashed to Melbourne to speak at an event, before returning to Fashion Week in time for the Anna Quan show.

Clearly in her role as a “friend” – code for brand ambassador – to David Jones, the ex-Liberal deputy leader is doing all she can to keep the department store in her good graces – bare-backed dresses and all.

David Jones is not the only corporate friend, of course.

Bishop has another side hustle, as a strategic adviser to $15 billion miner Mineral Resources – which had the former pollie starring in an employee induction video a few years back alongside minor celebs such as Hugh Jackman.

She’s also on the advisory board of privately owned Brisbane miner, Controlled Thermal Resources, and let’s not mention the little black spot on her resume that is the failed financier Greensill Capital where she was a senior adviser.

HARD LABOR

CBD had to stifle a guffaw when we heard Treasurer Jim Chalmers claim that Tuesday night’s big spending budget is not an election pitch.

Why, the man is already acting like he’s in campaign mode, with his boss Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher aiding and abetting with, well, some gusto.

Just take a look at the trio’s media schedule, helpfully passed out by the PM’s office, which wants the world to know how hard their man is working on selling the budget.

So let’s see … the prime minister was up with the larks on Wednesday for a 2SM radio slot at 6.20AM, he was on Sky News at 7am, and Nine’s Today show at 10 past. By 7:30am, Albanese was showing his mug on ABC News Breakfast and on Seven’s Sunrise just 10 minutes later, Fox FM Melbourne at 8:05am, KIISFM at 8:35am, Triple M Adelaide at 8:50am, and then Nova in Perth at five past nine.

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Albo then did Channel 10 news at midday, and Triple J’s Hack at 5:30pm.

Our favourite moment in all of that was Fox’s former Carlton footy oaf Brendan Fevola proving that he was still, well, Brendan Fevola, by asking the PM if the national debt couldn’t just be wiped away? “Can’t you just wipe it and everyone start again?”

Anyway, Chalmers was not to be outdone by the boss, notching up 10 radio and TV appearances by 9:15am and going on Channel Ten news, addressing the National Press Club – those gigs can be tough – and then going on The Project in the evening.

Chalmers, interestingly enough, stuck to the AM stations while Albanese braved the forensic questioning of the likes of Fevola and KIISFM’s chief economic brains, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. That tells us much about what Labor planners think of the respective electoral appeal of their two frontmen.

Now, we’re loath to talk about leaners and lifters – not after what happened to poor old Joe Hockey when tried that one out on a memorable budget evening in 2015 – but Gallagher’s workload on Wednesday looked comparatively light, with four morning radio slots and a speech in the evening.

But even half that effort would send either one of your workshy CBDsters straight to the knacker’s yard.

WOMEN OF THE HOUSE

That speech we mentioned from Gallagher on Wednesday night was delivered in the Great Hall of Parliament House to a budget dinner put on by the Future Women advocacy group and sponsored by LaTrobe Financial.

Future Women Managing Director Helen McCabe had assembled an impressive crowd for the evening, with Nine’s very own Tory Maguire moderating the panel, with a bunch of Canberra’s big hitters present, and held for the first time in the prestigious space.

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Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Sports Minister Anika Wells were also representing the Albanese front bench, sitting down to dinner with some of the Australian public service’s high-flyers; Finance Department Secretary Jenny Wilkinson, Employment Department boss Natalie James, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Alison Frame and Australian Secret Intelligence Service chief Kerri Hartland.

Joining Gallagher at the podium was Queensland’s first female premier, Anna Bligh, and at the tables were crossbench MPs Zali Steggall, Zoe Daniel and Kate Chaney.

Now, this affair – more than 400 powerful women in the parliament’s biggest space, where most events are a sea of grey men in grey suits – has to be noted as a breath of fresh air around the joint and hopefully a sign that things are finally changing up there.