For the leaders of both the victors and the vanquished, the first weeks after an election are as much about sending signals than delivering concrete actions.
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Anthony Albanese standing before the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander flags at his first prime ministerial press conference, Penny Wong's missions to the Pacific and Chris Bowen's meeting with ex-fire chiefs.
These were statements of intent. And they were largely predictable. Labor is preparing to deliver in government what it promised while in opposition.
As the election's losers, the first steps and early signals from the reshaped Coalition were always bound to be more intriguing and less predictable.
It is the side which needs to change, at least if it has any ambitions of returning to government in 2025.
The makeup of Peter Dutton's first frontbench offers some of the first signs as to the path the Coalition intends to tread in the three long years before the next election.
The federal election result, particularly the loss of heartland seats to progressive female independents, suggested the Coalition had lost the faith of female voters and those concerned with climate change and political integrity.
So what, if anything, does Dutton's frontbench signal about what it has heard and where it's heading?
The women problem
Dutton made a point of highlighting the fact that 10 of the 24 members of his shadow cabinet are women, equalling the female representation in Anthony Albanese's first cabinet.
Sussan Ley (deputy leader), Jane Hume (finance spokeswoman) and Anne Ruston (health and aged care) occupy some of the opposition's most senior positions, while Sarah Henderson (communications) was among the winners in the reshuffle.
But there were demotions too. Morrison government ministers Linda Reynolds and Melissa Price have been dropped to the backbench. Michaelia Cash has been shifted back to employment, replaced in the influential legal affairs portfolio by a man.
Former Minister for Women Marise Payne wanted to sit on the backbench but was coaxed into serving as shadow cabinet secretary.
All things considered, the Coalition still suffers from a lack of high-profile and experienced female leaders, particularly when compared to a Labor team which includes Wong and Tanya Plibersek.
Mr Dutton made a curious foray into the leadership void on Monday morning, telling ABC's RN Breakfast that there was nobody in parliament who had done more to fight for the rights of women and children than he, the former Queensland sex crimes cop.
The nuclear option
If the elevation of right-winger Angus Taylor to the energy portfolio after the 2018 knifing of Malcolm Turnbull reflected the Coalition's direction in the vexed policy space, Ted O'Brien's promotion to the position suggests another shift in emphasis.
The low-profile Fairfax MP chaired a parliamentary inquiry which recommended a role for nuclear in Australia's future energy mix.
His appointment comes a week after Nationals leader David Littleproud and his predecessor Barnaby Joyce called for a national debate on lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy in Australia.
Mr Dutton said on Monday he wasn't "afraid" to have a discussion about controversial technologies which could help reduce emissions and lower electricity prices.
A new voice
Labor's push for a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution looms as a defining feature of this term.
Bi-partisan political support is seen as crucial to the referendum's success. In that context, the appointment of Julian Leeser as Indigenous affairs spokesman is, on face value, significant.
Mr Leeser, who has also been named shadow attorney-general, has previously described constitutional recognition of Indigenous people as "one of Australia's great national goals."
Asked if Mr Leeser's appointment signalled the Coalition would support a constitutionally-enshrined Voice, Mr Dutton said he simply wanted the "best people in the jobs".
He reaffirmed that the Coalition would consider Labor's proposal once it was finalised.
But the new Liberal leader, who infamously boycotted the apology to the Stolen Generation, stressed his focus was on practical actions which would improve the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Morrison allies on the outer
When former Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes his seat on the backbench when parliament returns late next month, he'll have one of his closet allies there for company.
Former Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was among the big losers from Mr Dutton's reshuffle, along with another Morrison confidante, Stuart Robert.
Mr Robert will serve as assistant to new treasury spokesman Angus Taylor, a steep fall for a man whose position on the frontbench was seemingly assured under Mr Morrison.
The pair's demotion will be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to turn the page on the old regime.
Mr Dutton has promoted conservative allies, including Andrew Hastie to the defence portfolio.
Mr Hastie shares Mr Dutton's hawkish stance on China, and was among the first Australian politicians to draw parallels between Beijing's rise and Nazi Germany.