POLITICAL THEMES

Chartered accountancy firm, Grant Thornton, have a bi-annual business breakfast, for which they send business leaders a rather elaborate invitation, complete with a Panozzo cartoon on the front. The cartoon is designed to reflect the political climate at the time, since the breakfast discusses the political climate and how it affects business. it's a wonderful opportunity for me to flex my political cartooning muscles!

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been a gift to cartoonists for many, many years - he has an easily-exaggerated face (glasses, bushy eyebrows and fairly prominent lower lip) - and despite being a rather average height, he has always been depicted as a fairly short chappie. This is a hangover from his turn as Federal Treasurer to then-PM, Malcolm Fraser, who was considerably taller - and we cartoonists never seem to forget things like that!

This cartoon is from the Australian Health and Aged Care Journal (June, 1999) when the 30% rebate was being offered to entice people to sign up for private health insurance. At the same time, the new Star Wars movie was being talked about left, right and centre - and I thought it would be fun to reveal Darth Vader's true identity...

Meanwhile, in 2001, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners were worried about the takeover of private practices by multi-national corporations, foretelling to axeing of bulk billing. This cartoon appeared in their magazine, GPReview (16 February, 2001) arguing the case against corporatisation of private practice...

For a step-by-step guide to how this cartoon was created, click on this link!

A few years ago, on yet another medical theme, the Australian Health and Aged Care Journal had a few reservations about health insurance and suggested that, by sitting on an "ideological fence", John Howard will end up being hoist with his own petard, so to speak. The cartoon drew itself, really...

 

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All artwork ©2001 Noz Productions