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Behind the Lines

The Courier-Mail

The Courier-Mail was founded in 1846 as the Moreton Bay Courier, and in 1864 was renamed the Brisbane Courier before merging with The Daily Mail (Brisbane) to become The Courier-Mail, serving Brisbane and the state of Queensland. 

Text reads, 'Back from the bush summit.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers asks, 'How was the North?' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, 'Hostile,' as a crocodile labelled 'NT Elections' bites him on the behind.

Outback Albo

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia Michele Bullock sit in a wagon labelled 'Australian Economy,' which is pulled by a dead horse. Bullock shoots a gun labelled 'rate rises' at a dragon with 'inflation' across its back.

Riding Shotgun

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A boat approaches a shore. On land, a politican says, 'Straight to Nauru for the lot of them!' Another says, 'Unless any happen to be tradies.'

Welcome

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Staff from ASIO stand around a watercooler. One says, 'Keep an eye on that one. Could be a member of the A-Team.' They look at Mr. T from the 1980s TV series 'the A-Team.'

The A-Team

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A staffer presents Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with an Australia Day t-shirt and says, 'This might help with your falling poll numbers.' He says, 'You beauty, should I disown it, criticise it, or disparage it?' Another staffer says, 'Maybe try wearing it.'

Wearing Thin

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

In a dungeon a man is being stretched on a 'Rate rises' rack. A masked man in the doorway holds a newspaper with the headline 'Inflation slows' and says, 'Hands up who wants some good news!'

Down Tools

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A pair of legs, one foot stepping out of a pair of pink high-heel shoes marked '50s' and into a yellow football boot marked '2020s'. In front of the boot is a 'Women's World Cup' football.

Role Model

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A tank marked 'Wagner' leaves tracks going around in circles. There is a blue sign with arrows pointing in different directions to the Ukraine, Moscow and Belarus.

Ring Cycle

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Anthony Albanese carries a net to catch a butterfly. The butterfly is in the colours of the Aboriginal flag and has the word 'Voice' on it. Albanese is waist-deep in a swamp.

Wade In

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A police officer fires a taser at a moving target featuring the silhouette of an elderly woman. The text 'NSW Police sensitivity training' appears below.

Taser vs Walking Frame

Sean Leahy, The Courier-Mail,

Jim Chalmers prepares to give a haircut to a large gorilla with the word 'budget' on its forehead. A zookeeper says, 'You're new at this, aren't you'.

The Rookie

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A disheveled Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong emerge from a 'PJK' room, smoke billows out. A man asks, 'How was the catch up with Paul?' Albanese responds: 'He went nuclear'.

So Hot Right Now

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A Buckingham Palace Guard's hat is on fire. Newspaper inside the sentry post is titled 'Record Temps'.

Bushfire

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A man in a suit with a briefcase titled 'Reserve Bank' throws a 'Rate Rise' brick off a jetty onto Scott Morrison, who is in the ocean.

Gravitas

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

A man hands a coffee to a cyclist saying, 'War is hell'. The price displayed for the coffee is $7.

War is Hell

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Fireworks and confetti are in the sky above the Brisbane City Hall, it has a 'Brisbane 2032' banner. A person says, 'I hope all that confetti is sustainable'. Another person responds, 'Don't worry that's just cash'.

Boom!

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Jesus says, 'I shall return and deliver salvation to the miserable masses'. Kevin Rudd sits on a rock holding a phone with Pfizer on the other end. He says, 'Get in line buddy!'

Lord and Saviour

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

As Scott Morrison sweeps women's names under a rug he says, 'Ugh, I'm hopeless at this, it must be because it's women's work'. A 'Media' vacuum is a vacuuming up the names under the rug, including 'Holgate' and 'Higgins'.

Little Help

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Annastacia Palaszczuk and another person look out of a wooden QLD box with traffic cones for binoculars. She says, 'I've seen enough, close it up again'.

Open and Shut Case

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

Scott Morrison in a Hawaiian shirt and flanked by security guards approaches two Rural Fire Service men in a bushfire-ravaged forest. The men say, 'Don't look now but here comes that grief counsellor we never requested'.

Fuel for the Firestorm

Sean Leahy, The Courier-Mail,

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