AUSTRALIAN POLITICS IN CARTOONS

Joh  Nukes Townsville /Thirsty  Bob Hawke / Crazy Grazier / Russian Olympics / Gandhi /  the  Australian  Navy  in   Afghanistan !

Flicking   through  this  worn  circa  l980  collection , which floated ashore on Magnetic Island,  revived  issues  of  the day  , some   almost  forgotten  . For example,  the  proposal  by Joh Bjelke-Petersen  for  a uranium  enrichment  plant  in Queensland.

It  was surprising  to   find  two  cartoons dealing with  Afghanistan  during the time of the Russian occupation of  the country . In  one  , by  Chris Carroll , Malcolm Fraser  was depicted, below,  sitting on a  fence with  a  magnifying  glass  focussed on  Afghanistan , watching   Bob  Hawke  in  a  wrestle . It was  captioned : The  Resolution of  Conflict  (Boyer Lecture ). 

In 1979,  Hawke , president  of  the ACTU , delivered the  Boyer Lectures entitled  The  Resolution  of Conflict .    

In these  he  outlined  structural changes he  thought could resolve  sources of conflict in Australia — conflicts he  said  threatened "the very fabric of a free society".

Topics  covered  included  the  functioning of  government and trade unions, equal rights for women and  Indigenous  peoples, the rise of  China and the Middle  East  peace  process.

In February 1980,in Geneva, at a meeting of the governing body of  the  International Labour Organisation , he raised the  Christmas Eve 1979  Russian  invasion  of  Afghanistan,which was not on the  gathering's agenda. 

He damned the invasion and criticised Russia for refusal of  human rights in its  own citizens and the  flouting of  ILO conventions. 

Another Carroll cartoon  , below,   relating  to  the situation in Afghanistan , facetiously suggested  Australia  become involved, which actually  came  to   pass .  

A cartoon referred  to  Rupert   Murdoch's takeovers in  newspapers, television and  transport . The  collection   was   published  by  Ariel Press,  Underwood, Queensland, apparently for Kevin Dillon.

Malcolm Fraser, the Crazy Grazier , was the subject of   several other cartoons , including  the  following one  for   l975 with  dire consequences for  the  Whitlam  government  and  East Timor .

The  publishers offered a range of publications related to homes-Australian, colonial, Spanish, small, contemporary, split level, lowset, highset - and owner  builders. Also available  was  an  illustrated book on Henry Lawson's poems. The back cover was a full page advertisement  for  D.J.Builders Pty. Ltd., of  Underwood.  Contributing cartoonists  included P. Townsend and Glen  Singleton .