A Zara dress, the Jim Reaper and a communist state: how Australia’s media interpreted the budget

The voters of New South Wales woke up in a communist state on Wednesday – at least according to the Daily Telegraph, which claimed that “Lying Jim” Chalmers was cackling like the devil as he gouged them with big taxes in the federal budget . To underline this apparent sharp turn to the left, the Tele added a red hammer and sickle and used a red background. “In the most radical redistribution of wealth since the Whitlam era, the Treasurer’s fifth budget last night locked in a major broken election promise by slashing negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount,” the Sydney tabloid said. In Victoria, the treasurer was portrayed a deathly shade of blue as “The Jim Reaper”. The coffin theme was embraced by the Herald Sun as election promises were “dead and buried” and investors were given “last rites”. The Hun continued the Tele’s communist theme by referring to “old school Labor wealth redistribution”. The Courier-Mail went for the jugular, accusing the treasurer of a flat-out fib with the headline “Jim’s Guide to Lying: Labor’s guide to broken promises and the secret plan for defending it”. The Australian offered a pink hue and a counter-culture vibe as the broadsheet turned to a 54-year-old classic book, The Joy of Sex, to sell its message that the budget was just a $77bn tax grab. …