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Behind the Lines

Megan Herbert

Megan Herbert is an illustrator, writer and cartoonist whose work has been appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age since 2021. She received a Kennedy Award for Outstanding Political Cartoon in 2022, the Climate Council Cartoon Award in 2023 and the MoAD Political Cartoonist of the Year Award in 2024. Herbert also writes for television, film and the stage, creates children's books and live-illustrates events. She lives and works on Bunurong Land on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

meganherbert.com

In a game of Tetris, the blocks are letter blocks that spell out, 'Art, work, truth, creativity, originality, job security, human agency, competition, IP, law, trust, equal, access, ethics, safety, skills.' Above them, two Tetris blocks in the shape of 'A' and 'I'. The score panel says, 'Top: tech firms. To beat: regulation. Next: ?'

All Fun and Games...

Megan Herbert, Substack,

The title reads, 'Join the dots.' A giant, dead fish is on a beach with an outline created in dots marked with points like 'bow to fossil fuel lobbies' and 'repeal the carbon tax.'

Join the Dots

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

A woman's stressed thought bubble fills the panel. She hurriedly ruminates on all of her career branches and options. The cat on her lap thinks, 'I am.'

Overflow vs Flow

Megan Herbert, Substack,

In a museum exhibit labelled '20th century technology,' a child asks a man, 'So… if it only made phone calls, which device did they use to bitterly divide people along ideological lines?'

Antisocial Media

Megan Herbert, Substack,

A crowd celebrates in war-torn Gaza. One injured child says to another, 'Maybe somebody won?'

Who Wins, Who Loses?

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Australian politicians play a chaotic game of netball.

No Guts, No Glory

Megan Herbert, Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House,

A woman climbs up a hill to a monk. She says, 'Oh wise one, should I give my last dollars to the tax-benefitted landlord who raises my rent without fixing my draughty windows, or the government-subsidised fossil-fuel company that offers expensive warmth today in exchange for climate chaos tomorrow?' The monk says, 'Sorry lady, I do moral contemplation. You need decent legislation.'

Legislative Failings

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Tourists gather around George Washington's tomb. Their guide says, 'And here you can see where he turned over in his grave in 2016, here again on January 6th 2021, and here, here and here since the commencement of the 2024 election campaign.'

Unpresidented

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Climate scientists yell warnings through the 'Policy Generating Science Translator 3000.' Politicians hear that everything is fine. One says, 'How good is science?'

Lost in Translation

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

A politician stands at a podium. Many of his speech bubbles overlap, things like 'We know you're doing it tough' and 'The system is broken.' He leaves, and people take his words, and try to assemble the letters into a makeshift shelter.

Only Words

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

A child looks at a phone. From the phone, many red lines connect many different social media logos, and graphic imagery like guns, porn and targets. This leads to a line of yellow police tape.

Antisocial Media

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Next to a cigarette labelled '50 years' is a water bottle labelled '1000 years,' and a person with a 3M logo inside them labelled 'forever.' The logo is made up of text that lists items like non-stick cookware and dental floss.

Lingering Problems

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen says, 'I anticipated obstacles, but not like this.' His Road to Renewables is blocked by a giant Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek holding a koala.

The Big Environmental Legislation

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Text reads, 'Messages from Dunkley.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks out on to the night sky, where bat-signal-like symbols show 'Tax cut' over a thumbs-up, and a picture of money going into a hand.

Dunkley Sends a Message

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

Transmission towers have fallen down in the shape of Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce lying on the ground. Text reads, 'Outmoded regional power structure flattened under the weather requiring urgent upgrade.'

Not Fit for Purpose

Megan Herbert, Nine Papers,

A tool punches holes into a belt, each hole is labelled with a rising cost of living. There is almost no belt left.

Running Out of Belt

Megan Herbert, The Age,

A woman holds a feather duster in her mouth, a bill and laundry on one arm, a laptop in her other hand, a full grocery bag on one foot, a boy tugs on her shirt and a cat vomits on the ground. She thinks, 'I wonder if I'll find time to come up with a cartoon for International Women's Day...?'

International Women's Day

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

Four contestants sit in a 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'-style competition. Question is: 'What's the best way to limit your personal plastic consumption?' One says 'Actually, Eddie... I think I'd like to call for some legislation?'

Who Wants to Do The Right Thing with Plastic?

Megan Herbert, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Two panels showing how cartoonists draw government ministers the day before and the day after the new arts package. Before: four unflattering caricatures of politicians. After: same politicians with flattering caricatures.

Everyone Has Their Price

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

6 panels with a woman in different yoga poses. The poses are named for having to adapt to different situations due to interest rate rises.

Yoga for Rising Interest Rates

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

People sit in a circle. One man is standing saying, 'Hi. My name's Kevin. And I'm a newsaholic. It's been twelve hours since my last doomscroll...'

Newsaholic

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A clothes hanger is twisted to resemble a smoking gun. Blood drips from the top. Text above reads, 'U.S. Supreme Court: All in a week's work'.

Big Week for SCOTUS

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A four stage cycle entitled 'The vicious election cycle'. The stages are: 'things are really bad', 'vote for what you know', 'things might get even worse!', 'too risky to change now'.

The Vicious Election Cycle

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

Dave Sharma and Trent Zimmerman look on as women line up for a balloon from an 'Independent campaign assistance' sign. Women float on balloons. There's a 'Fresh air' canister. Text above the men says, 'I don't know what's in that tank, but I don't like it.'

Fresh Air

Megan Herbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald,

A woman has a mask hanging from her ear. The lower half of her face has spots, facial hair and she has fangs. Text reads, 'The other reason to continue wearing a mask'.

The Mask

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

A man holding books talks to a woman in a library. He says, 'We've moved a few things around. Travel books are in the Fantasy section, politics is in sci-fi, and epidemiology is in self-help. Good luck.'

New Categories

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

A 50 degree Celsius thermometer holds up a newspaper with the headline, 'Air travel, consumerism back on track', to an empty syringe next to an empty COVID-19 vaccine.

Save Us From Ourselves (with the Thermometer and Syringe)

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

Three men sit in a lounge. One says to a woman server, 'Bring us another round, sweetheart'. Text reads: 'Members of the Australian Club vote to allow women to come to the table in the only way that does not offend their core values.'

The Australian Club

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

A calendar of 2021. 26 January is marked as 'National day of mourning'. Every other day of the year is marked as 'Not national day of mourning'.

Change the Date

Megan Herbert, Self-published,

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