Shortly after the 2016 election, Barnaby Joyce was asked about his aims in secret "Coalition" talks to divvy up the spoils of office with the Liberal Party.

"The first aspiration is that the agreement remains confidential. That's aspiration one, two, three, four, five, and six," he skited.

Hilarious, right? Hubris, like hindsight, is a wonderful thing.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Parliament last week. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

That the very structure of the new government was to be gleefully kept from voters is surprising given that the arrangements codify (presumably) the obligations of each side - things like the surrender of party policy and autonomy in exchange for a fixed number of well-paid cabinet and ministerial posts.