Among the faces present at AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan’s National Press Club address in Canberra was one usually found at Parliament House.

Taking to the floor with a microphone in hand and her trademark flawless suit, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s surprise appearance was introduced as “West Australian Julie Bishop” – much to Mr McLachlan’s surprise.

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Starting off with an “easy one”, the representative for the Perth electorate of Curtin quizzed Mr McLachlan on the future of the West Australian teams.

“When do you predict the first Eagles-Dockers Grand Final will be played in the new Perth Stadium?” she said with a matter-of-fact air.

She continued with a question on the new $2.5 billion broadcast rights deal announced between Fox Sports, Seven Network, Telstra and the AFL on Tuesday.

“Do you believe you have done enough in order to protect the AFL base in the light of increased ticket prices and more coverage on pay TV?” she said.

But that wasn’t all she had in store for Mr McLachlan, finishing her grilling with a query on behalf of a former Australian football player now playing college football in the US.

They wanted to know when the rules around ‘kick-backs’ would be changed, to prevent players wasting time and maintain the game as the “brilliant, fast-moving spectacle that it is”.

But she couldn’t get through it without a jab at Parliamentary Question Time, quipping that of the three questions, just one could be “taken on notice”.

A Perth-based grand final could be a long way away, with Mr McLachlan telling the crowd unfortunately they will have to wait until at least 2039 – the year after the contract with the MCG ends.

As for the AFL base, he said the “unprecedented number” of free-to-air games and “blanket coverage” on subscription services meant consumers’ needs would be well met.