Political cartoons
Discover Australia’s rich tradition of political cartoons, where all politicians and policies may face the brute force of the cartoonist’s pen.
The following resources will help students better understand the role of political cartoons in Australia’s media landscape. Australian political cartoons are a gateway to democracy. They represent freedom of expression and freedom of speech.
Behind the Lines curriculum themes
Democracy and free speech
Untitled, Leunig, 2015
Stop Press, Will Mahoney, 1940
Hebdo, First Dog on the Moon, 2015
Freedom of the Press, Greg Smith, 2014
Teacher and student resources
- Behind the Lines exhibition student worksheet - primary
- Behind the Lines exhibition student worksheet - secondary
- Hidden Meaning Revealed: teacher education resource
- Behind the Lines 2020 and previous years
Slideshare resources
- What is a political cartoon?
- How to analyse a political cartoon
- Humour and caricature
- Time to draw a caricature
Still want more? Continue exploring…
- John Frith | the art of politics, MoAD Collection
- Cartoon Analysis | John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library
- Cartoon PD in a Package | John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library
*Australian Curriculum V8.3 – Curriculum Learning Areas
HASSCivics and CitizenshipHistoryEnglishVisual ArtsMedia Arts