A new exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra is inviting visitors to reflect a little differently on the political year that was. Taking inspiration from the passion and spectacle of sport, this year's 'Behind the Lines' exhibition showcases witty, creative, and often critical commentary from Australia's best political cartoonists.
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00:00From the strikeouts, to the slam dunks, and everything in between.
00:07The big political plays of 2024, as observed and interpreted by 40 cartoonists from around
00:14the country, are now on show at the Museum of Australian Democracy.
00:18The newspapers are still a legitimate platform, even though it's not perhaps what it once
00:24was.
00:25The fact that you can say things, speak truth to power in our country still is a great honour.
00:32One of Australia's longest-running annual exhibitions, Behind the Lines, offers new
00:36insights on familiar topics, like cost of living pressures, events in the Middle East,
00:43housing and climate change, while this year's theme, No Guts, No Glory, encourages a unique
00:50post-match analysis.
00:52We thought it might be a good metaphor for how you should approach life and politics,
00:56that if you really put yourself out there and you try very hard, then perhaps you can
01:00win, you can be a winner.
01:02Politics can be very competitive, it can be very cut and thrust, so we thought there were
01:05some nice sporting crossovers.
01:07The exhibition also a celebration of 2024's Cartoonist of the Year, who says she was spoiled
01:13for choice when putting pen to paper.
01:16I mean, there's no such thing as a slow news day really, there's always something to talk
01:20about.
01:21But more than funny, the satirical works remind us, cartoons can be a valuable platform for
01:27social and political change.
01:29I do think political cartoonists are very brave, they really do speak truth to power
01:34and I think they're a very important part of the free press that we have in Australia.
01:39You do have to have a strong opinion, you don't have lukewarm cartoons, they don't stand
01:44the middle ground, they say something.
01:46Behind the Lines runs for the next year.