"Fascinating but irrelevant" neatly summed up the vibe of the last question time before federal parliament goes on a winter break ahead of five by-elections.
The caustic remark from Speaker Tony Smith was actually referring to Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg's attempts to find his opposition counterpart Mark Butler a new job.
The electoral commission has abolished his seat of Port Adelaide and he recently lost his gig as president of the Labor Party.
Frydenberg cheekily suggested Butler have another crack as campaign manager for Anthony Albanese on a potential second tilt at Labor's leadership.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been under fire this week for his captain's call to roll back small business tax cuts.
He also unilaterally gave Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen responsibility for that portfolio.
Government ministers had a field day over the appointment.
"Of course, there are many ways to create a small business. Most people start off with no business at all and build it up. Others, and I think the shadow minister (Bowen) would fall into this category, would start with a large business and turn it into a small one," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull quipped.
Small Business Minister Craig Laundy speculated Bowen won't be writing a book on the topic.
"Because the Member for McMahon could write what he knows about that on the back of a postage stamp," Laundy said, before characterising Shorten's knowledge on the topic to something that would fit on the top of a pinhead.
"As a wit you're halfway there," a Labor MP interjected.
Bowen returned fire asking the prime minister, in light of his visit to Universal Trusses - a business owned by the President of the ACT Liberal Party - would he be visiting other "similarly independent businesses like MB Turnbull, Turnbull and Partners Holdings?"
Turnbull defended the hard-working Canberra family business and pointed out that it wasn't an offence to be part of a political party.
Attention spans were waning during his pro-small business lecture until he started waxing lyrical about Aussie Bums - not the body parts, thankfully, but an online men's jocks and swimwear retailer.
Later, Turnbull mocked Shorten's upcoming business lunch address in Devonport, in the Tasmanian electorate of Braddon, which Labor could lose to the government.
"Imagine the applause that he'll be getting there from all those people," Turnbull said.
Shorten swiftly tabled the invite to the Devonport Chamber of Commerce pow-wow next Wednesday saying "People are welcome. It will be a very good event."
Let's hope there's something to clap when question time returns in spring.
