Just a quick, regrettably anonymous comment about Judith. I met her when I worked in the press gallery and she was always very charming and friendly in what is often a pretty damn unfriendly place, so I always respected her for that.

But it does have to be said that she was a terrible choice as a government minister. If you ever needed a comment about one of her portfolio's then you called the PM's office. In her nine years in government I don't think Judith ever responded to a media inquiry. She was usually a no-show at Select Committee and if she showed up she'd spend the morning texting on her phone and ignoring the submissions before enjoying a liquid lunch and not coming back. This used to be considered normal behaviour for a politician but anyone else carrying on like this in Helen's government would have been dropped on from a great height.