Political explosions flowing from Middle East conflict force Australia’s Treasurer into a metaphorical ‘budget bunker’ as fuel costs detonate economic pressure points in Mark Knight’s toon
Why do I do that, I hear you ask.Well, so much happens in the news every day that there is often more than one story that captures my attention.
Mark Knight often has more than one breaking news story to choose from, but Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ activities regularly feature as political cartoons. Dr Chalmers gave a pre-budget speech in Melbourne on March 19, ahead of the May 12 federal budget. Picture: NewsWire /Brendan Beckett
I find that there is a similarity sometimes between political stories – which is my area of interest – and non-political stories, like sporting events or popular culture or something BIG happening.
With a complex political issue that may be difficult to explain to the general public, you can paste that political issue into something else that is going on and that can help explain the situation. So this week we had Donald Trump’s war on Iran, the bombing of Iranian targets and the effect this was having on world oil supplies and the price of fuels like diesel and petrol.
Dr Chalmers is often pictured with his trademark smile but multiple pressures on the economy and ordinary Australians is no laughing matter. Picture: NewsWire /Brendan Beckett
The high price of fuel and the shortage of it was caused by the blocking of that tiny stretch of water called the Strait of Hormuz*, through which nearly half the world’s oil supplies pass.
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday 11 March. Picture: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
Iran was responding to the US and Israel offensive by firing missiles at passing oil tankers and threatening to sink any vessels that dared to enter. So oil supplies were greatly reduced. This put pressure on economies around the world, as well as people trying to run a business, drive to work, or do anything that relied on fuel – which is mostly everything.
Bombs were raining down all over the Middle East as the Iranians fired off missiles indiscriminately at neighbouring nations like the UAE, Dubai, as well as at Israel in retaliation. People were forced into bomb shelters as they feared for their lives.
So many things people use require fuel – including President Trump’s helicopter and Air Force One. Picture: Oliver Contreras/AFP
Meanwhile in Australia, the Federal Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers was dealing with the nation’s finances and he was under severe pressure as well. Inflation* was again a problem and the Reserve Bank was about to lift interest rates to deal with it.
The war in the Middle East added to the government’s problems. The high price of fuel would put massive pressure on Australians and cause huge damage to households already under cost of living pressure. High fuel costs were inflationary too, so Dr Chalmers was having financial missiles rain down on him from all directions. So that’s where I decided to conflate the two events.
Just as Israelis and those in Dubai were in their bomb shelters, I thought the Australian Treasurer should have his own “Federal Budget Bunker”. The war in the Middle East was causing considerable damage to the Australian economy and I felt the beleaguered* Treasurer needed to take shelter from the onslaught* while he tried to put together his federal budget, which is due in May.
With this type of cartoon, you can metaphorically* illustrate the hits to the Aussie economy caused by the military campaign Donald Trump is waging* with the use of explosions, shrapnel* flying and flames leaping into the air, which makes for a dynamic looking cartoon.
The facial expressions on the Treasurer and the Prime Minister cowering* inside the shelter convey the apprehension the two leaders of the government might be experiencing in the current economic environment. Let’s hope that the “Budget Bunker” is made of solid concrete!
Fuel Supply Taskforce coordinator Anthea Harris and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a media conference about fuel security in Hobart on Thursday 19 March. Picture: David Killick.
GLOSSARY
- inflation: an increase in prices over time, causing a reduction in the value of money
- beleaguered: having a lot of problems or difficulties
- onslaught: a very powerful attack
- metaphorically: when a word or phrase is used in a figurative rather than literal way to describe an object or action
- waging: fighting a war or organising a series of activities in order to achieve something
- shrapnel: small pieces, particularly of metal blown through the air when a bomb or other device explodes
- cowering: flinching, shrinking away from something, crouching down in fear or to avoid something or someone
EXTRA READING
All aboard RBA runaway rate train
QUICK QUIZ
- What is the name of Australia’s central bank that is responsible for setting interest rates?
- Which two nations started the war in the Middle East?
- Which country was their main target?
- The blocking of which vital, strategic waterway has caused the high price of fuel and the fuel shortages?
- When will Dr Chalmers deliver Australia’s next federal budget?
Source: Kids News Australia
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