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Behind the Lines

The Guardian Australia

The Guardian Australia is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, The Guardian. Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 2013 Australian federal election and followed the introduction of Guardian US in 2011.

The Earth is at the doctor saying, 'I've got hot flushes, burning sensations, wet patches, constant flare-ups in my conflict zones, and now my democracies are hurting.'

World of Hurt

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A First Dog on the Moon comic explains the March for Australia and the proliferation of racist ideology. He points out that there are people protesting for a free Palestine, who have been criticised as antisemitic, but Australia's Antisemitism Envoy has yet to speak out against the Nazis at March for Australia.

Nazi March with Nazis

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wear cloaks in yellow, purple, red and green. One says, 'The whole apocalypse thing got a bit too depressing, so we've reinvented ourselves as the four horsemen of working together to get us all out of the mess that we're in.' Their flags read, 'Hope,' 'Justice,' 'Empathy,' and 'Just basically not being a dick.'

Horses for Causes

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Four skeletal horsemen and their horses watch a TV, which says, 'Iran and Israel – old egomaniacs escalate tension,' over the faces of 3 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump. A horseman says, 'I always thought it'd be one of us who ushered in the apocalypse, but these guys might beat us to it.'

Credit Where Credit's Due

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton tells a woman, 'That's the thing about the hate media – they're always trying to whip up fear and division.' He is surrounded by fear-mongering signs about foreign students and drugs.

For Pete's Sake

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

Two aliens land outside Parliament House. One says, 'We sure picked a helluva time to ask to be taken to their leader.' A sign reads, 'This week: Monday Nationals, Tuesday Liberals, Thursday Greens.'

All in the Timing

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A sign says, 'Australian Party Leaders who lost their own seats club.' Peter Dutton welcomes former Greens leader Adam Bandt.

Join the Club

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A First Dog on the Moon comic explains the results of the 2025 election through small Australian animals and a democracy sausage. Dutton has lost, Labor enthusiasts have won, and First Dog ponders whether Albanese can stand up for any important issues, like the cost of living.

The Unduttoning

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

A First Dog on the Moon comic explains climate change attitudes through the character Ian the Climate Denialist Potato. Ian mentions the main reasons climate change is a hoax and how our real enemy is renewable energy. First Dog finishes with, 'We can still save the Earth from the people trying to save it.'

Climate Liars

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

An AEC staff member says to a group of Australian animals, 'It may be a matter of life or death that your voices are heard, but I'm afraid I can't enrol you to vote.'

Political Animals

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A First Dog on the Moon comic explains preferential voting in the 2025 election through small Australian animals. He urges everyone to vote in order of their preferences so the nation could end up with a minority government.

Election 2025

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Three fortune tellers sit beside a sign that reads, 'International fortune tellers' club.' One says, 'I used to rely on my crystal ball but these days I just make up the craziest stuff I can think of and 95% of the time I'm totally on the money.'

Misfortune Teller

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

The title reads, 'Now showing on a small screen near you!' Two people walk past movie posters depicting US President Donald Trump in parodies of the Godfather movies. One person says, 'It's supposed to be great television but I'm not so sure.'

Mafia Don

Fiona Katauskas, The Guardian Australia,

A First Dog on the Moon comic explains Coalition policies on nuclear power through small Australian animals. Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton had a plan for many nuclear power plants. First Dog says this means we will never hit our 2050 climate change targets, he ends with 'Thank goodness for preferential voting.'

Dutton Nuclear Bomb

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

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 long First Dog on the Moon comic addresses the housing crisis and the way in which the government tries to tie it to immigration, through small cartoon animals.

Immigration OR Housing

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

A long First Dog on the Moon comic talks about the joys of seeing Aurora Australis from their backyard. The final panel says, 'What a waste of a perfectly good planet.'

Lovely Aurora

First Dog on the Moon, 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,

A long First Dog on the Moon comic explains the Centrelink crisis through small animal characters. A man named Mark has his Centrelink payments cut while he has brain surgery.

Centrelink Brain

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

A long First Dog on the Moon comic points out the gender pay gap with small cartoon animals. In the final square, a group of men decide that there's nothing they can do about it.

Gender Pay Gap

First Dog on the Moon, 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,

Text reads, 'Climate change and the cost of living. Everything is going up…' The cartoon then lists insurance costs, food prices, housing stress, as well as fossil fuel profits and new coal and gas approvals.

It's Going to Cost the Earth!

Jess Harwood, The Guardian Australia,

A dog stands behind a lectern and addresses delegates at the 2023 ALP National Conference. The dog says they will only 'pretend to consider' changes to policy positions.

ALP Conference 2023

First Dog on the Moon, 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,

Three penguins argue about whether climate change is more important than getting Taylor Swift tickets.

Sea Level Taylor Swift

First Dog on the Moon, 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,

Across multiple cartoon cells, a potato attends a series of meetings and investigates the misuse of confidential information at PwC.

PwC 2023

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Six images showing aspects of 'Winter in Australia's glorified tents (ie. terribly insulated homes)', including 'icy toilet seats' and cold rooms closed until spring.

The Winter of Our DisconTENT

Jess Harwood, The Guardian Australia,

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,

Anthony Albanese's dog, Toto, goes aboard the 'HMAS APS' spaceship. Toto expresses surprise at its dire state, and finds thousands of APS employees in 'cryosleep'.

Commander Toto

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Two dogs recount the days of COVID. They block it out by singing, with a sign outlining number of deaths in the background. The dogs comTwo dogs recount the days of COVID. They block it out by singing, with a sign outlining number of deaths in the background. The dogs comment on how the community briefly came together.ment on how the community briefly came together.

COVID 2022 Help Help

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Multiple cartoon panels each containing a different scene where 'Scott Man' refuses to address the situation at hand.

Scott Man 2020

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Multiple panels outlining the stories of pets that survived flooding.

Stories of the Flood

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

Multiple panels with 'Senator Ian the Climate Denialist Potato' disputing young people's issues in today's society, such as climate change.

Angry Climate Kids

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

A robot-looking guide takes robot-looking children on a tour of 'Nice things' at a museum. Nice things include a hot bath, a cat asleep in sunshine and clean sheets. The children are horrified.

Museum of Nice Things

First Dog on the Moon, The Guardian Australia,

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