My Newest Favourite Thing: Behind the Lines

 

While Cousin Rachael was visiting, we went to Old Parliament House, and while she walked around the Museum of Modern Democracy, I went to the Behind the Lines exhibition to see the political cartoons from 2025. Here are some of my favourites. I have added the exhibition's words in quotations.

Introduction by Matt Golding

"In this specially commissioned cartoon for Behind the Lines 2025, Political Cartoonist of the Year Matt Golding responds to this year's theme: Are We Rolling? The politicians running across the top of the film projector are (left to right) Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyehu, Allegra Spender, Larissa Waters, David Littleproud, Angus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Jim Chalmers, and Anthony Albanese."

Climate change remains a headline catastrophe, but cartoonists point out that people are less bothered by global concepts than personal finances.

The Cost-of-Not-Living Crisis by Matt Golding

"If we listen to the political dinosaurs, the cost of living is the most pressing issue affecting Australians. Climate change scientists might disagree, noting Australia's climate is already changing and calling for immediate action to reduce carbon emissions. Climate change is the 'asteroid in the room' that no one wants to acknowledge."

Responding to Our Wake-up Calls by Matt Golding

"The cost-of-living crisis was one of the biggest points of debate during the election campaign. In Matt Golding's cartoon, this is the issue that finally spurs the world into action - whereas climate change has the whole world repeatedly hitting the snooze button."

Priorities by Cathy Wilcox

"September saw the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment by the Australian Climate Service. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water described it as 'Australia's first nationally comprehensive look at how climate change could affect the systems we rely on'. The report detailed sea-level rises, increased deaths from heatwaves and the impact of climate change on the Australian property market, which could see close to a million homes possibly uninsurable by 2050."

Join the Dots by Megan Herbert

"Mid-year a deadly algal bloom driven by marine heat waves had a devastating effect on the marine life around the coast of South Australia, with an unusually large number of dead marine creatures appearing washed up on the state's beaches. Between March and July, according to data collected on the citizen science site iNaturalist Australia, the bloom killed around 15,000 animals from over 450 marine species."

House of Cards by Harry Bruce

"As the cost of living rose and the housing crisis continued, Australians turned to their credit cards. Reserve Bank statistics released in February showed the national credit card debt sitting at $17.8 billion, a figure bolstered by Australians' record monthly spend of $28 billion in December 2024." 

There are, inevitably, cartoons specifically aimed at Australian politics. 

Nighthawks at the Sky After Dark Diner by Matt Golding

"In this work Matt Golding recreates one of America's most famous paintings, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks (1942). Peter Dutton approaches an intimate bar, the Sky After Dark Diner, where former Liberal leaders Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott, seated next to Sky News host Peta Credlin, are being served by the channel's owner, Rupert Murdoch." 

The Liberals' Post-Election Complete Rebuild by Matt Golding

"This is one of two very clever re-creations of IKEA instruction booklets in the year's Behind the Lines. The challenge of rebuilding the Liberal party after the election could be remarkably simple - or very difficult - depending on your personal view of whether it is easy or hard to follow IKEA construction manuals."

Nuclear Neverland by Claire Harrison

"A major coalition policy during the election campaign was a plan to build seven nuclear power plants across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The coalition claimed this would provide a 'cheaper, cleaner, and more consistent alternative' to coal or renewables. Many did not share the Coalition's enthusiasm for the policy and were concerned about its many documented risks, such as the effects of radiation on humans and animals."

Podcasts vs Justice by Jess Harwood

"The mushroom murder trial of Erin Patterson spawned at least five dedicated podcasts and countless news reports. Around the same time there was a coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri man who was shot and killed by police while resisting arrest in the remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, Northern Territory. The inquest found that Walker's death was 'avoidable' and should not have happened."

Farewell to Old England Forever by Mirranda Burton

"This rabbit X-ray refers to the pests that were brought to Australia on the First Fleet and which now number in their hundreds of millions. Recent favourable conditions have seen the population boom, leading to calls for federal support to fast-track the next rabbit biocontrol virus. Rabbits cost the Australian agricultral sector $200 million a year, twice as much as do foxes and mice. They also threaten double the number of native species compared to other introduced animals."

There is a strong contingent of American news and concerns. Of course, this makes me question whether American newspapers and cartoonists would be interested/ aware of anything taking place beyond their shores. 

Inflammation of a Nation by Matt Golding

"This cartoon appeared in June 2025, not long after the protests in the city of Los Angeles against ICE abductions and deportations of undocumented people. The protests lasted several days and in response President Donald Trump sent in 4,100 Califormia National Guard troops and 700 Marines, sparking widespread debate about the boundaries of presidential power."

Burning by Cathy Wilcox

"In January 2025 a series of 14 wildfires caused significant damage and loss of life in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego County in California, United States. Two of the fires were considered to have been the second and third most destructive ones in California's history. Reports said more than 18,000 homes were destroyed and up to 440 people were killed as a reslt of the fires."

The Wake-up Call? by Mark Knight

"American democracy has been put to the test in 2025, with nearly double the number of politically motivated attacks than for the same period in the previous year. In September conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking on a Utah collage campus. This followed two assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential election campaign. Politicians and national figures have been targeted throughout America's history; pictured here are Abraham Lincoln, John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, all of whom were assassinated, and Ronald Regan, who survived the attempt on his life."

Global politics and events are also included, such as this gut-punching cartoon from Cathy Wilcox.

Exodus by Cathy Wilcox

"In September a UN Commisssion of Inquiry released a report stating that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. It detailed the targeting of citizens, including children, in far larger numbers than in  previous conflicts; the blocking of medical aid, foood and water; and acts aimed at 'deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physcal destruction in whole or in part'. The Israeli government rejected the report, saying it relied 'entirely on Hamas falsehoods'.

A couple of the works feel quite personal as they address the individual and their relation to art. 

Overflow vs Flow by Megan Herbert

"Megan Herbert captures the dilemma of many creative people,  particularly freelancers, as they try to carve out a sustainable career in Australia. The federal government's five-year Revive policy, which has been in place for almost three years, has the 'Centrality of the Artist' as a key pillar, an acknowledgment of the need for career structure and fair remuneration. Living a creative life has always been a precarious position, even without the disruptive threat of  generative AI."

Put Things in Perspective by Scott Wrigg

"According to The Guardian, Gen Z is taking up 'cosy' hobbies in 2025 as a way to de-stress, find connection and create tangible objects in an increasingly digital world. From pottery classes to cooking clubs, arts and crafts are being used as a positive mood booster and a way to regain some perspective. Sometimes, though, art can do the opposite and give us too much perspective."

Antisocial Media by Megan Herbert

"Phones used to be simple devices that connected two voices separated by great distances. Now we have smartphones, incredibly sophisticated, multifaceted communication devices that can spread messages to millions in milliseconds. However, there's growing anxiety about people using them to fuel extremism and spread misinformation."

The Problems of the World by Rosie Murrell

"In this cartoon a crowd of people, seemingly disconnected from each other, are looking down at their phones, doomscrolling, consuming negative news online. As Rosie Murrell said when she posted the image to Instagram, they - and we - are 'wondering what we can possibly do to stop any of it. And the exhaustion of it.'"

Looking through all these political cartoons can actually get quite depressing as we see the state of the world with greed, war, famine, and basic inhumanity. So, I'll finish the post with a positive cartoon.

Horses for Courses by Fiona Katauskas

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's Book of Revelations symbolise conquest, war, famine and death and herald the 'end of days' that will precede the Last Judgment and the damnation or salvation of souls. Fiona Katauskas's horsemen, however, have decided enough is enough and have pivoted to harbingers of hope."