There have been three constants thus far in the final week of Scott Morrison's election campaign.
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Visits to housing estates in outer suburbia to sell the merits of allowing Australians to break into their superannuation accounts to break into the property market.
Then there's tea, biscuits or cake with older voters inside a community hall.
And then there's Jenny.
After the Coalition's launch on Sunday, Jenny Morrison accompanied her husband on each of his campaign events in Queensland and the NT.
Nothing is done without purpose or intent in the staged-managed circus of an election campaign, not least in the high-stakes final week.
Mrs Morrison's starring role is therefore worthy of analysis.
Observing Jenny Morrison at these twice or thrice-a-day photo opportunities makes it clear why she's been deployed.
In these sterilized settings at least, she's at ease interacting with voters, projecting a sense of warmth and empathy which critics say is absent in her husband.
As Mr Morrison speaks with one person or a group at these events, his wife might be chatting with another.
It's a two-pronged attack, designed to leave a positive impression on as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
But it would be nave to think Jenny is being rolled out simply to charm a dozen self-funded retirees at the local darts club in Cairns, or even just to lend her husband some moral support in what might be the dying days of his prime ministership.
Her prominence should be viewed in the context of Mr Morrison's attempt to soften an image which has clearly repulsed large parts of the population - particularly women.
The Prime Minister conceded last Friday that he could be a "bit of a bulldozer", and on Saturday accepted he needed to be more empathetic. In the days since he's spoken about being a more "inclusive" leader.
If this seems like its occurring at five minutes to midnight, it is. But the process has been underway for months.
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Remember that 60 minutes episode, featuring an interview with the Morrisons (and the Prime Minister's now infamous rendition of April Sun in Cuba on the Ukulele)?
In that interview, it was Jenny, not her husband, who expressed regret for the family holiday to Hawaii while Australia's east coast was ablaze.
Mrs Morrison has been used at different times to soften her husband's faults and amplify his best traits.
At Sunday's campaign launch, she featured alongside cabinet ministers in a retelling of how the government - but most importantly the Prime Minister - managed those dark and uncertain days at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jenny Morrison was the first talking head to appear in the video.
It wasn't by accident.
It never is.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
