Symbols are important in political life, helping politicians get their story across.

Think of Neville Chamberlain's waving of his piece of paper in 1938 or cigar-chomping Winston Churchill with his V for victory sign.

Or more recently, Scott Morrison and his lump of coal or Pauline Hanson's burka stunt.

Even Trump's red MAGA hats.

They're visual and immediate and they get the message across.

And it appears we now might need to add the humble pint/schooner/middy (take your pick) to this list (although Nigel Farage might claim he added it a good few years ago).

The reason for this is reports coming out of Canberra today that the government is looking at possibly imposing a windfall tax on gas companies in the face of the ongoing Iran conflict and as well as possible reforms to income tax and the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT).

Now it might be a little simple to say this is all down to independent senator David Pocock's viral moment when he claimed at a senate estimates hearing that the government receives more tax from beer purchases than the taxation received from the offshore gas industry.

Now, leaving aside the nuances of his argument and the amount of other substantial taxes energy companies do pay into our nation's coffers, the fact is Pocock caught the imagination – and consternation – of the great beer-swilling Australian electorate.

Most people don't exactly like taxes but admit they're a necessary evil. Death and taxes as Benjamin Franklin so memorably put it.

But the line drawn between "if I'm paying for a tax on my beer, those bloody big gas companies should be paying their taxes too" is a simple one. And simple messages hit home.

So now, a few weeks on from Pocock's meme-moment, add in the Middle East conflict spiking global demand for our home-produced LNG, and the government is reported to be looking at clamping down on the boost to exports gas companies are cashing in on.

Whether the government will move against the powerful oil and gas sector (the AEP's Samantha McCulloch has already called for calm), and whether any changes would come before or as part of May's budget only time will tell.

But while Trump and Netanyahu's attacks continue, the reverberations will continue to be felt around the world. We all need to be doing whatever we can to keep the lights on and keep prices down.

I'll drink to that.