MoAD and the Courtyard Cafe are open. There may be building works during your visit. Learn more

Behind the Lines

The Age

The Age is considered a newspaper of record for Australia, and has variously been known for its investigative reporting, with its journalists having won dozens of Walkley Awards, Australia's most prestigious journalism prize. 

A tool punches holes into a belt, each hole is labelled with a rising cost of living. There is almost no belt left.

Running Out of Belt

Megan Herbert, The Age,

Four colourful logos: Blockbuster, Kodak, Brashs and Liberal.

Obsolete Brands

Matt Golding, The Age,

Four panels of a therapy session. A woman on a couch lists global issues. Therapist suggests focusing on fixable things. Woman lists more issues. Therapist says, '... we're cooked'.

Therapy

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

6 panels with a woman in different yoga poses. The poses are named for having to adapt to different situations due to interest rate rises.

Yoga for Rising Interest Rates

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two people sit watching TV, Anthony Albanese is on the screen. An Aboriginal flag is above the TV. Text reads, 'I for one look forward to the inevitable call for media balance between the heartfelt well-informed and the strategically bad-faith.'

Balance

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

The Constitution is a puzzle with a piece missing. There is a piece next to it with the Aboriginal flag shaped as the missing puzzle piece.

Voice

Badiucao, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two photos of space. The first says, 'Seeing where we came from'. The second, Earth on fire, says, '...and where we're going'.

A Glimpse

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A mother holding a newspaper says to her children, 'Hey kids, who wants to go to the wildlife sanctuary to say goodbye to all the animals?'

Say Goodbye

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

People sit in a circle. One man is standing saying, 'Hi. My name's Kevin. And I'm a newsaholic. It's been twelve hours since my last doomscroll...'

Newsaholic

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A clothes hanger is twisted to resemble a smoking gun. Blood drips from the top. Text above reads, 'U.S. Supreme Court: All in a week's work'.

Big Week for SCOTUS

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man looks over the edge of the ship 'Cost of Living'. He is looking at an iceberg lettuce.

The Cost of Living Iceberg

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Champagne bottle with Boris Johnson's head as the cork is being popped. It says, 'Boris Partygate' and 'No Confidence' on the bottle.

A Toast to Partygate

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Anthony Albanese sits on a life raft with the number 77. A teal and a green shark fin approach him.

Safety in Numbers

Andrew Dyson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison with the text 'Last act' and a picture of a boat on the sea. Anthony Albanese with the text 'First act' and the Aboriginal flag.

Last Act, First Act

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Caricatures of leaders of political parties on coloured paint tubs. A man says, 'Sorry, don't do sample pots' to a prospective buyer. Another person walks away.

Reno Roulette

Andrew Dyson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A 'How not to vote' card with six caricatures and reasons not to vote for those political parties or politicians.

How Not to Vote

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison follows Katherine Deves as she sweeps the ground clean of LGBTQIA+ rainbow colours. Text above reads, 'Off the tools for once'.

Katherine Deves Gets 'on the Tools' for Scomo

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man reads the following in front of a camera, 'Any economic pain needs to be shared, so we're sharing it amongst the poorest'. It is in a grey colour scheme.

Sharing the Pain

Alan Moir, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Sussan Ley is depicted talking to a group of teenagers twice. The first time she says, 'I look after the environment', the teens respond, 'So you're caring for our future!' The second time, she says, 'I don't have to look after it that well'.

Sussan Ley Says 'Yeah Nah' to the Environment

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Dave Sharma and Trent Zimmerman look on as women line up for a balloon from an 'Independent campaign assistance' sign. Women float on balloons. There's a 'Fresh air' canister. Text above the men says, 'I don't know what's in that tank, but I don't like it.'

Fresh Air

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A boat 'ALP' speeds away from someone wearing rainbow colours in the water. A man on the boat says, 'We'll come back and pick you up when we're in government...'

Kids Overboard

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison looks at three shelves. The top two, titled 'Elementary logistics' and 'Common sense' are empty. The bottom shelf, titled 'Ideology', is full of books and buckling under the weight.

Stocktake

Andrew Dyson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Four images depicting people trying to access COVID-19 tests and results. COVID impacts all stages, except the stage to pay a fine for not registering a positive result.

Domicron's Test Shop

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce at a press conference. A banner in the first panel says 'Net-zero commitment'. The second panel, Joyce has covered the 'net' with his hat.

Australia's Climate Action

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce say social media needs to be held accountable for misinformation. George Christensen and another backbencher in the background say, 'Free speech baby!'

Free Speech, Baby!

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man sits in an armchair. A woman stands. A dog is on the floor. The man says, 'I'm moving my armchair expertise from epidemiology to nuclear powered naval submarines.'

Armchair Experts

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Six panels, in each panel a journalist asks a minister a question. Text above is, 'Blind trust is the answer to everything.'

Blind Trust

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison stand at a 'Robodebt' cage holding someone upside down. In the foreground, pigs wearing top hats eat at a 'Jobkeeper' trough filled with money.

The Politics of Envy

Alan Moir, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man sits on a cube with a QR code, his ankle is chained to it. His head is in his hands. There are two more QR codes in the image.

Track Record

Simon Letch, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison's daughters sit with him. They ask, 'Daddy, what did YOU do in the COVID lockdown?' A bag with a CBR tag is in the background.

Daddy What Did YOU Do?

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Four panels where Josh Frydenberg is a red inflatable figure. His level of air changes to reflect the economy at the time.

Whiplash Economics

Matt Davidson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison says to Josh Frydenberg from inside a small house, 'Just look at them, Josh... locked down in their cave'. They are on the east side of Australia while Western Australia has people running around freely outside.

Cave Dwellers

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A bust of Scott Morrison. A 'Sexual assault petition' book, COVID-19 phone, and a hose are all trying to be handed to him.

The PM of No Responsibility

Jim Pavlidis, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

List of global disasters and issues such as 'corruption, covid and carbon emissions'. Text tells the reader to 'Lower your expectations and celebrate all the things you've learned to live with'.

Lower Your Expectations

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison pushes Christian Porter on a chair through a door titled, 'Leader of the House'. Text above reads, 'Wheels of justice'.

The Wheels of Justice Roll Along

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Craig Kelly is on a ladder painting over a poster of Clive Palmer as a dinosaur. Palmer is also painting it.

Clive Palmer Erases Himself

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Anthony Albanese is on a diving board called 'Principles' which has almost broken. The pool below is empty with a dead fish at the bottom. Next to Olympic rings is the text, 'Platform diving final'.

Degree of Difficulty

Andrew Dyson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two men float around with open champagne bottles and glasses in a spaceship looking at Earth. One says, 'It's humbling how the view from up here reinforces the profound insignificance of everyone else.'

The View from the Top

Jon Kudelka, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Barnaby Joyce wearing a 'NATS' hat has pushed Scott Morrison off a cliff. Morrison, wearing a 'LIBS' hat says, 'One of these days you'll push me too far!' Morrison holds a 'Climate Policy' briefcase.

One of these Days You'll Push Me Too Far

Alan Moir, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two panels. First panel Michael McCormack walks away from Barnaby Joyce who is in a 'NATS' recycling bin. The second slide the roles are reversed. Parliament House is in the background.

Bin Night

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two bubbles. One is Bubble: 2020 and one is Bubble: 2021. In Bubble: 2020 a happy man holds up a puppy. In Bubble: 2021 the dog is huge and the man looks sad.

Bubble Wrap

Andrew Dyson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Josh Frydenberg walks past Anthony Albanese saying 'You're toast!' Parliament House is in the background. A tub of butter is on a billboard with the text: 'Spreadable money' and 'I can't believe it's not a Labor budget!'

Budget Butter

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg walk away from a group of children saying, 'We'll leave you generations of debt and climate change. Don't grow up too soon!'

Inheritance

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Four politicians with 'Minister for...' titles relating to staying quiet or acting without consequences. Text reads, 'The PM has made some new appointments, to show just how serious he is about changing the culture for women in Australia. To name a few...'

Serious About Women

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Angus Taylor carries a tray of 'snake oil' to the Glasgow Climate Conference 2021. A person out the front says, 'Ah... this must be the Australian delegation'.

Angus and Climate Change

Alan Moir, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two panels. One panel is a small extract of the second. The first panel a man crawls out of a hole called 'Recession'. The hole is larger in the second panel, the man crawls out of a small hole on the edge.

The Bigger Picture

Matt Davidson, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Four panels outlining Australian soldiers' training, which resulted in 'terrible acts' including murdering civilians in Afghanistan.

Killing Men

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Josh Frydenberg is on one side of a bridge made from money. He says, 'Fingers crossed!' to a woman as she is about to cross. On the other side is a sign saying 'vaccine'.

Bridge to Recovery

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man and a woman watch TV on a couch. They reflect on pre-pandemic issues such as severe water restrictions due to drought. They now label these as 'Good times'.

Nostalgia

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Four 'new monuments' with corresponding text are displayed. Each monument is an ironic comment on a stereotype, for example, 'The leader who felt ashamed'.

New Monuments

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison is an ostrich. His head in buried in sand. He says, 'There was no slavery in Australia'. Text beneath reads: 'Dark emu versus white ostrich'.

A Historical Perspective

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A scientist tells a man about a political vaccine, but says unfortunately there is no 'syringe strong enough to penetrate the thick hide of the average politician'.

Political Pandemic

Michael Leunig, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two panels. First panel, shadowy figures watch a robot chase two people. The robot says, 'You owe us'. Second panel, the robot explodes, the two people say, 'An apology!!'

Owing Something to Someone

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two men stand with a gap between them. One man's T-shirt reads, 'I climbed Uluru'. Other man's T-shirt reads, 'I still don't have a voice in the Constitution'.

The Gap

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A scorpion (Scott Morrison) and a frog (unions) are on one side of a river with a strong current. On the other side is 'Post-COVID recovery land'. The scorpion asks the frog to carry him over the river.

The Scorpion and the Frog

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison on a boat sing, 'We're all in this together'. A 'JobKeeper' man stands underwater holding a 'Jobless' man above the water. A young person and a casual worker drown nearby.

We're All in This Together

Alan Moir, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A man on steps at a rally asks the crowd, 'Whadda we want?' The crowd responds, 'Any excuse to get out of the house'. The crowd hold up placards asking for more freedoms.

Lockdown Protest

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

An aerial view of a town. The town is split into nice and not-so-nice areas by a train line.

Social Distancing Goodville

Michael Leunig, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Coronavirus and Vegemite at a bar. Coronavirus says, 'Internationally, all people want to do is stop my spread.' Vegemite responds, 'I'm hearing you, buddy!'

Stopping the Australian Spread

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison throws money out of a bag towards people. He looks behind him. Kevin Rudd wears a 'Kevin 07' T-shirt and says, 'You look like you've seen a ghost!'

The Ghost of Kevin

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison sits in an FJ Holden. It does not have wheels, and is up on bricks. Number plate is 'How good'.

How Good Was Holden?

John Shakespeare, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Scott Morrison is in four panels confronted by disaster after disaster. He prays for 'another distraction' each time.

Pray for Distraction

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Native animals are labelled as good moral attributes. Pests are labelled as undesirable traits. Text says native species/good traits are at danger of becoming extinct, whilst 'feral pests proliferate.'

Endangered Species

Cathy Wilcox, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

In the style of the 'Life. Be in it' ad which featured a man called 'Norm'. 'The New Norm' is sitting on an armchair with a mask on, text reads: 'Life. Be inside.'

The New Norm

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Angus Taylor, Michael McCormack, Matt Canavan, Barnaby Joyce and Scott Morrison sidestep questions about having a plan and the cost.

Our Plan

Matt Golding, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A diagram shows a graph of financial growth and crashes over time, illustrated with socioeconomic events of those times. It is hectic and confusing.

GFC Explained

Bruce Petty, The Age,

On the left, people represent countries the West has sought to imposed their systems on. On the right, an army runs towards them saying, 'How many times do we have to explain democracy to you people?'

Explaining Democracy

Bruce Petty, The Age,

Four panels. A tank approaches a person. More people face the tank as the panels progress.

The Futility of War

Ron Tandberg, The Age,

You may also be interested in...

Misinformation explained

Misinformation explained

Your guide to misinformation and democracy.

What is a double dissolution?

What is a double dissolution?

Everything you need to know about a double dissolution.

1946: Social Services referendum

1946: Social Services referendum

The 1946 referendum led to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme and the beginnings of universal healthcare.

The sizzling history of the democracy sausage

The sizzling history of the democracy sausage

Barbecue snags and voting explained.

1977: National Song Poll

1977: National Song Poll

Australians were asked to pick a song for the national anthem in 1977.

Audio described cartoons

Audio described cartoons

Hear audio descriptions of political cartoons from Behind the Lines exhibitions.