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Behind the Lines

Fiona Katauskas

Fiona Katauskas has been cartooning since 1997, and her work appears in The Guardian. Her cartoons have also featured in a wide range of publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Age, New Matilda and Eureka Street. She was MoAD's Political Cartoonist of the Year in 2023. She is the author and illustrator of the children's books The Amazing True Story of How Babies Are Made (2015) and Hi from Outer Space (2024).

fionakatauskas.com

A couple talk to a medical professional under a sign that reads 'Family Planning.' One shelf behind them is full of birth control methods. The medical professional says, 'And these aren't technically contraceptives but they do stop people from getting pregnant…' while pointing to a shelf full of blocks that read, 'News, cost of living soars, housing to stay unaffordable, hottest day ever, pervasive sense of doom remains.'

Not Kid's Stuff

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Two men with overgrown beards and large signs on their chests that say 'No longer obsessing that the end is nigh' and 'Eschewing any evidence that we're all doomed!' One says, 'We've both been so much more relaxed since embracing news avoidance.'

No News Is Good News

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A woman holding a baby with a child by her side reads a sign that says, 'Danger zone – you are here,' surrounded by text such as 'poverty', 'police indifference', 'fear', 'homelessness.' She says, 'And they ask why we don't just leave.'

Warning Signs

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A family play a Monopoly-like boardgame called 'Duopoly'. Text reads, 'Not fun for the whole family' and 'Go directly to Woolies or Coles. Do not pass any other supermarkets. Do not collect ungouged goods.'

Let the Buyer Beware

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Two men in suits watch a climate protest. One of them says, 'At least our destructive behaviour is good for the shareholders.'

Profits of Doom

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Text reads, '16 years on…' On a cliff, a white family read books labelled 'Australian History.' On the other side of a gap is another cliff, where a First Nations woman with a child holds up a book that says, 'The Truth about Australian History.' She says, 'It's one of the gaps that's been hardest to close…'

Don't Mind the Gap

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A group of people holding bags with the Labor Party logo appear shocked at an all-day itinerary of sessions. Sessions include: 'On hold to Centrelink' and 'Sleeping rough in the local park'.

The Care Factor

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Two people look up at a group of cloaked horsemen, one says 'I liked it so much better when there were only four of them...' The horseman are named: Death, War, Famine, Conquest, Plague, Climate Change, and AI.

Horses for Courses

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A mother and son arrive at a 'Support group'. There are a group of people sitting in a circle in the room, one says, 'Yes, this is for the families of MPs who've left politics in order to spend more time with them'.

Won't Somebody Think of the Children?

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

A girl in black with a raincloud over her head leaves a room with two kids ankle-deep in water. One says, 'If you think La Nina was bad, just wait 'til you meet her brother'. A flaming boy called 'El Nino' looks in the window.

Kids These Days

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Two panels entitled 'A Brief history of talking about the weather'. First panel, 'Then...', shows two people having a conversation. Second panel, 'Now', the same two people in distress hold up their phones.

Small Talk/Big Issue

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

In a room full of tents, one man says to another, 'I used to say I worked in a camping goods store but now I'm an "affordable housing consultant..."'

Winter of Our Discount Tent

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Entitled 'Life imitates art', a woman lying down covered with paper, says 'Everything, everywhere all at once...'

No Hollywood Ending

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Two people walk their dog past two posters. First poster is Anthony Albanese 'Mild-mannered fossil fuel supporter'. Second is 'Captain carbon cuts'. They say, 'Funny how you never see them both in the same room'.

The Great Australian Hero

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Two people with their dog lean over a park bench and ask a homeless man if they can 'pinch the property section' of the newspaper. The man is using newspaper as bedding.

Propertied

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Three panels of 'alternative energy': a radio jockey getting mad, a spinning wind turbine with a bullseye target in the centre, and a blue Peter Dutton.

Power Politics

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

A woman arrives home to her family holding a piece of paper saying, 'Min wage rise 5.2%'. She says they can't buy a home, but they may be able to put a deposit on an iceberg lettuce.

Salad Days

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Room called 'Dept. of Immigration Storeroom 97' containing piles of 'Unwelcome' mats. A woman shows a man a 'Welcome' mat for one family, but says the rest are for 'everyone in offshore detention'.

Making His Mark

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Four Greek men stand outside the Acropolis next to a large scroll. Above the men is the text, 'The invention of democracy...' A man says, 'All it needs now is some kind of meat product wrapped in a slice of bread...'

Food for Thought

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Scott Morrison walks away from a bin throwing a document called, 'Uluru Statement from the Heart' into it. Morrison says, 'It's the "From the Heart" bit I just can't relate to...'

Empathy Coach? Who Needs 'Em?

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

A ghost with 'Election 2019' scares people dressed in Halloween costumes. A skeleton says, 'I know I said to come as something horrifying but Labor supporters are traumatised enough'.

Ghost of Elections Past

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

A board meeting where Clive Palmer's shortfalls and benefits are outlined. In the background are various billboards representing the United Australia Party.

The Buck Stops Here

Fiona Katauskas, The Echidna,

Residents of a house are on the roof. Floodwaters are below. They say, 'On the bright side, they say our electricity bills won't be rising'. A sign saying, 'Govt commits to coal' floats by.

Underwater Matters

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

A woman points to a target in the centre of a man, who is juggling issues like 'rorts'. A man in a suit says, 'Mr Albanese would love to comment but he's too busy with his small target strategy'.

Missing in Opposition

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Three judges at the Olympics. In front is Scott Morrison crashing. Text reads, ' And it's a signature move for Australia – a slow roll out and fast backflip with a bit too much spin'.

Going for Gold

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

A radio jockey says, 'And next on the line we have Delta who thinks the government's approach has been spot on...' On the other end of the line four Delta viruses hold a phone and say 'shh' to each other.

Bad Call

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Scott Morrison sits on a beach chair talking on a phone in front of the Christmas Island Detention Centre. He says, 'Look, I'd love to be able to help those little girls but my empathy training doesn't go that far...'

The Heart of the Matter

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Scott Morrison is on the phone to his wife, Jenny. He asks her, 'What to do, Jenny? If only there was some kind of sign'. Women protesters are outside his window with signs.

Window of Opportunity

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

A family is on the beach. Daughter says, 'When I grow up I want to be treated with respect and recognition for my brains and hard work'. The parents say, 'I remember when she wanted to grow up to be prime minister'.

Dream Jobs

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Cash rains down on rich people from a golden 'Tax cuts' fountain. Behind a bollard, a mother says to her child, 'Now we just wait for it to trickle down.'

Going with the Flow

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Scott Morrison walks through an arts and theatre precinct with another man. Everything is closed or cancelled. Morrison says, 'I don't know much about art, but I know I don't like funding it'.

Cancelling Culture

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Four panels. Three panels: a woman walks past societal issues not caring. Last panel: the woman is furious about a compulsory mask-wearing sign outside the store she is about to enter.

Wrongs and Rights

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Kristina Keneally has broken the emergency glass to steal the John W Howard Memorial Dog Whistle. Peter Dutton is in the corner saying, 'Kristina! Fancy seeing you here...'

Hitting the (Far) Right Note

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

A man wearing a face mask holds a bunch of 'sorry' flowers out to a mask-wearing fortune teller. The fortune teller sits at a table in front of a crystal ball.

Expecting the Unexpected

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

Two pillars with a chasm between. Left pillar is taller and has a fence. Inside two people watch TV asking, 'Close the gap? What gap?' Two people on the short pillar on the right say, 'This is going to be harder than we thought'.

The Ignorance Gap

Fiona Katauskas, Eureka Street,

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