While the casual black jumper promises approachability and the loosened tie suggests long stretches of subterranean toiling, it's the morose, baggy eyes that say: "I have been awake - and possibly crying - for days." Oh, the stress! Treasurer Joe Hockey in his office before the budget. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The staged photo opportunity is one of those quirky budget traditions - alongside strategic leaking and the time-honoured lock-up - and is usually used to depict decisiveness, confidence and control in the midst of great expectations. Inevitably, these pre-budget stunts place the treasurer of the day behind a busy (but never cluttered) desk, firmly grasping a pencil and notepad in which he might be conducting long division, carrying the one, or perhaps erasing a few pesky zeros.

We cannot know for sure what Mr Hockey was scribbling (though the pad, at a flat angle, does appear to be suspiciously blank), but one could theorise a montage of black dogs, nooses and sad clowns. Normally, the photo shoot aims to convey strength, determination and a sense that the nation's bean-counter-in-chief will imminently bring home the bacon for one and all. Indeed, he did wear a more cheerful grin in photographs appearing in Fairfax papers on Monday. Photo: Andrew Ellinghausen

But, overall, Mr Hockey appears somewhat overwhelmed by his circumstances, not helped by his formless black sweater and a look of resignation that gives the whole picture an air of down-on-his-luck-divorcee-picking-up-the-pieces. The embattled Treasurer has good reason for the doldrums. There is speculation he would be in serious trouble if this budget is not received better than his first. The mythical, life-sustaining surplus is now nowhere in sight. Scott Morrison seems to be circling, shark-like, ready to seize the job at a moment's notice. At the weekend, Mr Hockey was left unable to answer questions about changes to the paid parental leave scheme that appeared to have been dropped by Mr Morrison to a Sunday newspaper chain. Online, Mr Hockey's model shot was likened to that of a schoolboy hauled into the principal's office. Others asked whether he was deliberately trying to appear "sad and depressed", while some tried to guess what the Treasurer might have been doodling in his more contemplative moments.

It was reported on The Conversation that Mr Hockey had been showing signs of stress in the lead-up to Tuesday night's budget, including lashing out at Prime Minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin during a meeting of the expenditure review committee. Sunday's photo opportunity follows another uncomfortable photo shoot last week in which Mr Abbott gripped his Treasurer's arm in what appeared to be a gesture of reassurance.

Photo: Andrew Meares