Statement of values

These teabags have social significance as a contemporary cultural expression of the esteem (or lack of esteem) in which Australian prime ministers are held. Australians’ passion for politics means that politicians can become celebrities and cultural icons in their own right, almost separately from the political system. The impunity with which prime ministers are depicted and lampooned is evident in a variety of politically-inspired paraphernalia, including household objects. The fact that these objects even exist is evidence of Australians’ willingness to incorporate politicians into their private domestic space. After all, if there was no appetite or market for such products, they may not have been manufactured.

By associating politicians with the social rituals of tea preparation, and the social values and even social cohesion fostered by tea consumption, the manufacturers acknowledge that the one thing all Australians have in common is their prime minister—and all will have an opinion on him or her. The tea bags thus have a social purpose: they are a talking point, sparking political debate or reminiscence, or cathartic release through harmless punishment by proxy (dipping an effigy of a hated politician in boiling water). They demonstrate that personal participation in political satire is part of Australia’s national culture.

These teabags have additional social significance in that they were designed by a Hamburg-based graphic designer, Thomas Kappes. His use of caricatures and symbols—a compass for a supposedly lost or confused Gillard, a comb for the hirsute Hawke, the tracksuit for the perpetually daggy Howard—are fascinating for their encapsulation of the perceived character or legacy of the prime minister, from a foreigner’s perspective. (Keating’s microphone is a neat yet possibly unintentional nod to Keating! The Musical! as well as the prime minister’s oratorical skills and previous career managing The Ramrods). The fact that Kappes has designed similar teabag sets depicting British Royalty, world leaders (Putin, Obama, Merkel, etc), rock stars, film stars, artists, composers and fashion designers further demonstrates the concept of politician as celebrity.