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

Behind the Lines

Two words, eight syllables

International relations … Playing charades with your relations is always a bit awkward.

Take AUKUS, for example. Early in 2023, Australia's decision to sign a multi-billion-dollar nuclear submarines deal with the United Kingdom and United States was met with confused expressions on couches across the country.

Back home, Victoria snubbed family fun time by cancelling the Commonwealth Games, but the coronation of King Charles III in May had been the perfect opportunity for a low-key gathering of one's nearest and dearest.

Meanwhile, the Australian Government signalled to our Pacific neighbours that it wanted to improve security in the region. It also tried to capture the attention of China and India without sending mixed messages.

A man plays with a toy submarine labeled 'AUKUS', overshadowed by a large black submarine with a Chinese flag. A voice from the large submarine says, 'You undermine peace in the region.'

AUKUS Threat Submarine

Badiucao, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two panels. First panel, the 'Commonwealth Games Federation' announces a new venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Second panel, a man at a remote pub says, 'Looks like we won the bid', a voice replies, 'I suppose I'd better put the kettle on.'

Untitled

Warren Brown, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney),

Entitled 'Uneasy lies the head...' King Charles wears a large purple crown. On the crown there is a list of uncomfortable truths about his past and the British monarchy.

Coronation

Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Across a space background similar to the opening scene of each 'Star Wars' movie, words in yellow begin: 'King Charles III, The Irrelevant Empire Strikes Back...'

The Irrelevant Empire Strikes Back

Matt Golding, The Sydney Morning Herald,

King Charles III faces two Indigenous Australians who say that he isn't king because he doesn't have a breast plate with his name on it.

New King

Danny Eastwood, Koori Mail,

Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi skip together holding a basket of red dots. The red dots are scattered in the air to spell the words 'human rights'.

Kindred Spirits

Pat Hudson, Self-published,

Entitled, 'One Biden short of a conga line,' Anthony Albanese wears a red, white and blue party hat, somebody's hands are on his shoulders, and his arms reach forward.

The Quad Conga

Matt Golding, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Across a table from Xi Jinping, flanked with a wall of large missiles, four men, including Anthony Albanese, sit with a handful of small missiles. Albanese says, 'And there's more where that came from... right Jimbo?'

Untitled

David Rowe, The Australian Financial Review,

A crowd of people stare at their phones. In the background, large harvesting machines fly TikTok and Facebook flags. The crowd talk about the risk of TikTok mining data rather than 'buying it on the market like a regular covert influencer.'

Safeguarding Democracy

David Pope, The Canberra Times,

Anthony Albanese walks next to Penny Wong, telling her to 'Send China our strong rebukes... and our kindest regards.'

Our Strong Rebukes

Alan Moir, Self-published,

You may also be interested in...

Stories

Stories

Deep dive into stories about Old Parliament House, Australian history and democracy.

1999: Republic referendum

1999: Republic referendum

In 1999 Australia voted no to replacing the Queen as our head of state with a president.

Collection

Collection

Our collection captures the ideas, movements, people and events of Australian democracy.

Behind the lines

Behind the lines

Explore political cartoons in Behind the Lines exhibitions online.

Audio described cartoons

Audio described cartoons

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

Referendums A to Z

Referendums A to Z

What is a referendum? Why should you care? We’ve broken down everything you need to know, from A to Z.