'O great Reserve Bank' cartoon by Andrew Weldon, the Age, 2007

This is a cartoon by Andrew Weldon showing a family about to sacrifice a goat in front of the Reserve Bank of Australia as an offering for their mortgage. The security guard says, 'Sir - no animal sacrifices on the bank steps.'

Pre-election coverage in 2007 focused on which party could best manage Australia's economic future. Rising interest rates and the implementation of the government's WorkChoices policy were the key battlefronts in the debate.

Political cartoons have a long history in Australia, and remain one of the most popular forms of political commentary. Though caricatures and satirical illustrations appeared in some of Australia's earliest newspapers, it was not until the 1830s that they became a frequent and respectable feature of the print media. Publications such as the Melbourne Punch, the Sydney Punch, the Bulletin featured both caricatures and cartoons, and it was through these publications that political cartoons became a popular element of the Australian press.

Andrew Weldon is a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, the Australian, the Bulletin, Good Weekend and GQ.