This will be a great relief to many of you.

But this doesn’t mean that 2017 will be a politics-free year.

In fact, it shapes up as one of the most interesting years we’ve had.

Internationally, we’ll get to see what President Donald Trump will be like now that he can no longer be critic-in-chief but has to govern and deliver on his promise to make life better for the ‘forgotten’ people.

And the fact that he had smaller crowds than at Obama’s inauguration doesn’t change the fact that Trump won the election under the system the US uses.

But I do hope that Hollywood celebrities realise that protesting against the democratic outcome is futile – although I do find it hilarious (check out Shia Labeouf’s effort!)!

Here in Australia at the federal level, we’ve had to endure more appalling misuse of taxpayer-funded entitlements for politicians and one Liberal Minister, Sussan Ley, losing her job so far this year.

There are a few others in the government who must be feeling very nervous.

It is not lost on the public that this misuse of entitlements has been happening at the same time as the crackdown on people who have been overpaid Centrelink benefits.

At the state level, the resignation of Premier Mike Baird after less than three years in the job was a shock.

One of Baird’s so-called ‘achievements’ that he and his supporters have raised is the lease of the poles and wires, including the privatisation of Yass’s own Transgrid.

So, if there are so many billions in the coffers now, why aren’t we seeing them out here?

The Barton Highway duplication only needs $1 billion – how about it Gladys Berejiklian?

In the Yass Valley, our recently-elected council appears to be getting on with the job positively and cooperatively – and unlike their federal and state counterparts, there have been no scandals and no resignations. Keep it up!

Finally, Happy Australia Day to you all.