I drove around in Darwin and its suburbs this afternoon as is the case on most afternoons. It’s nice to go for a drive. But I could not help feel emptiness and disappointment today.

Today is the day after the Northern Territory election. Those wonderful posters and core flutes have all disappeared – all 50,000 or 60,000 of them. How empty the streets looked.

There were no faces coming back at me through our windscreen and side windows; no happy smiles sparkling eyes or glistening white teeth. No more political aspirants.

I hope I can cope with what we have now lost.