Well, Julia Gillard is certainly not wearing out her stilettos but, by gosh, Simon Crean seems to have more zest at the moment than a juicy new season lemon.
While the Prime Minister has kept close to Canberra and Melbourne, Simon has been to Geelong, Rockhampton and Queanbeyan.
Pray tell, what is he up to? What has inspired this youthful exuberance?
Mind you it doesn't matter who is riding this donkey, it's not going to win the Cup.
If it wasn't so sad it would be hilarious but Simon Crean's message to the regions is that they should "embrace the challenge" of meeting the house payments with social security.
Simon Crean told Rockhampton radio the other day:
All of this embracing is starting to make me feel awkward.
First of all, compensation requires first something to go wrong and the thing that is going to go wrong is your electricity bill or your job.
No one gets paid compensation without first being inflicted by an injury.
Regional Australia is about to have to deal with a new independent, unelected government body, the Climate Change Authority, like the Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank might put up interest rates; the Climate Change Authority will definitely put up your taxes.
They can do this without any more legislation being passed after the introduction of the carbon tax.
Not only do we have taxation without representation, we are going to the brave new world of taxation without legislation.
This will be enforced by a new battalion of green police, the Climate Change Regulator. Rather than the Keystone Cops we will have Australia's own Tombstone Regulators, they will give new meaning to that famous line from the western movie ... Regulators, mount up!