For political cartoonists, 2016 offered more material than you could poke a pencil at.
In Australia, a double-dissolution election meant voters were given an eight-week sentence, scare campaigns included.
In the United States, Donald Trump’s signature bouffant didn’t hold him back from getting the keys to the White House.
And in the United Kingdom, voters said 'F-U to the E-U'.
Marking the year that was, 80 of the best cartoons from 2016 have gone on display in the Behind the Lines exhibition at the in Canberra.
Matt Golding's cartoon on Brexit. (Museum of Democracy) Source: Museum of Democracy
They now line the walls of Old Parliament House and in a single frame tell the political stories of 2016.
For the exhibition’s curator, Tania Cleary, it was hard to select the best of the bunch from a pool of 1,200 cartoons.
“There are definitely cartoons with great situational humour and great lines. I think the key to a good cartoon is exactly that,” Ms Cleary told SBS News.
Director of the Museum of Australian Democracy, Daryl Karp, said given the huge political year that was, the exhibition evolved to include news from right across the world.
“Most of our political cartoons normally focus on just the Australian political system but this year there was so much going on,” Ms Karp told SBS.
She says the work of political cartoonists is an inspiring reminder of Australian democracy.
“Political cartoonists get to push the boundaries and turn our leaders into caricatures that bring to life the questions that most of us should be asking of those that represent us. There are many countries where similar actions would see you censored, jailed or worse,” she said.
But as well-known political cartoonists start to retire, there are fewer artists willing to fill their shoes.
The digital revolution sweeping through the Australian media and the continuing loss of revenue for newspapers has had an effect.
“As the newspapers syndicate their cartoons across a number of publications and as the cartoonists are getting older, we’re not seeing as many young people coming in so there are fewer and fewer cartoonists in the mix,” Ms Karp said.
