Life in opposition | National Museum of Australia

Faced with the Rudd government's continuing popularity, the Liberal Party failed to maintain its unity throughout 2009. Undermined by fluctuating opinion polls and the 'ute-gate' controversy, Malcolm Turnbull struggled to find traction in the electorate. By year's end the internal debate amongst Coalition members over whether to support the government's Emissions Trading Scheme legislation saw a challenge to Turnbull's leadership. Tony Abbott emerged as the new Leader of the Opposition defeating both Turnbull and Joe Hockey.

A colour drawing of Tony Abbott depicted as a jack-in-the-box. His upper body is dressed in a monk's robe with a rope tie around the waist and boxing gloves on both hands. Each glove has crossed out text: on the left-hand glove, 'Workchoices' and on the right-hand glove 'Climate Denial'. Instead of legs, there is a spring emerging from a broken box labeled 'Liberal Party Room'. The box is cracked in half with a variety of parts - springs, nuts, bolts and cogs flying about. - click to view larger image — 'Tony Abbott' by David Pope

A black and white cartoon depicting Malcolm Turnbull dressed in a top hat and tails. He is sitting at a table holding a book with the title 'My Brilliant Career'. On the wall behind him is a painting of Napoleon, on the table in front of him a small roman statue wearing laurels. Mr Turnbull is looking out of the cartoon, as if talking to someone to the right of frame. He says 'Someone's torn out the last chapter!!' - click to view larger image — 'My Brilliant Career' by Alan Moir

A black and white scene reminiscent of a magic act in a vaudeville show titled 'Malcolm the Magnificent and friends'. Four characters are on the stage facing an audience. Malcolm Turnbull is centre stage dressed in a top hat with a giant 'M', a magician's cape, a vest with stars and striped pants. He holds a wand in one hand and gestures to a human sized disappearing act box saying 'A round of applause for the fabulous Julie ... And ... now !!' The door is open and daggers pierce both sides. On the left of the cartoon is a grotesque female figure, representing Julie Bishop, dressed in a show girl costume including fishnets and a feather tiara. She has one hand above her head, the other on her hip. She has an enormous dagger running through her belly and sticking out her back. The third character, on the right, is a very chubby Joe Hockey, dressed in swimsuit drag with fishnet stockings, necklace and tiara. One long-gloved arm is thrown up above his head, the other held akimbo. A fourth charcter is behind Joe Hockey. At the front of the cartoon the back of the heads of the front row of the audience is in silhouette with one person saying 'How does he do it?' - click to view larger image — 'Malcolm the magnificent' by David Rowe

A black and white cartoon depicting Malcolm Turnbull, looking resigned and wearing a pin-striped business suit, sits at the wheel of a car, as a gleeful Peter Costello reclines in the back seat. Mr Costello's left leg is extended forward to move the car's gears into place. - click to view larger image — 'Backseat driver' by Dean Alston

A colour cartoon depicting Malcolm Turnbull standing at the centre and wearing a bright pink regal cape with white trim. His head is proportionately huge and is topped with a small gold crown. His hands are folded on top of a sword which is positioned, point downwards, as if it were a cane or walking stick. Peter Costello is shown as a wraith swirling around Mr Turnbull, his head even larger than Mr Turnbull's and taking up proportionately more space in the frame than Mr Turnbull. His hair is violet and eyes and expression demonic. Mr Costello's hands are up beside his ears in a scary ghost gesture. - click to view larger image — 'Costello's ghost' by Matthew Davidson

A black and white cartoon titled 'The Pied Piper of Canberra'. A figure dressed as a fool or harlequin wears a hat with name 'Grech' and plays a pipe with notes floating around it. Behind him Liberal Party ministers are portrayed as children following the piper: Malcolm Turnbull with a jump rope, Joe Hockey waving a 'Libs' flag, Tony Abbott kicking up his heels, Julie Bishop running and grinning. In the background is a medieval village with the flag pole of Parliament House at its centre. - click to view larger image — 'Pied Piper' by Peter Nicholson

A black and white cartoon depicting Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan in a ute land cruiser, with Mr Swan driving. Both look anxious and peer out the windshield. Godwin Grech is plastered flat on the front of the bull bar with a tiny speech bubble saying 'Err' dripping out of his lips. Malcolm Turnbull, in a pin-striped suit, clings to the roof of the ute waving his feet in the air and saying 'Right where I want you hee, hee'. Above the ute engine are the words 'G-G-Gr-Grech ... splut ... G-G-Gr-Grech ... shudder ... rumble'. Mr Swan says to Mr Rudd 'Maybe I should give Johnno a call ... it's still making a funny sound'. - click to view larger image — 'Right where I want you' by David Rowe

A colour cartoon of Malcolm Turnbull facing the press. In the background, Godwin Grech can be seen spilling out of a green wheelie bin, with the words 'Lib strategy' faintly visible on its side. Four journalists are in front of Mr Turnbull, microphones and cameras pointing. Mr Turnbull stands against a wall, with a man at his side with his arm behind Mr Turnbull offering support. With his hand at his brow as if massaging his temple to relieve a headache, Mr Turnbull says 'I feel so used'. - click to view larger image — 'I feel so used' by Cathy Wilcox

In the top left-hand corner of the cartoon is the title: 'Ute Catcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Young Barrister Who'd Been Known to Beat Up on a Government or Two in His Time ...' The 'C' in Catcher is a bright red Soviet hammer and sickle. There are three figures in the cartoon, all dressed in grey suits drawn in pencil, and squared off ready for a gun battle. Kevin Rudd, bright yellow hair and a red tie, has his hand at his holster ready to draw. Wayne Swan, beside him, sporting a giant orange duck bill and red tie, also appears ready to draw. They face Malcolm Turnbull, in blue tie. Mr Turnbull, pointing his finger at Mr Rudd and Mr Swan and his gun at his own head, says: 'Resign ... or this thing goes off!' - click to view larger image — 'Ute catcher' by Chris Kelly

A colour cartoon depicting a suburban scene — green lawn, swimming pool and a blond woman on a banana lounge chair reading the newspaper. A woman dressed in a black and white maid's uniform, a laundry basket under her arm, gestures to a figure representing Godwin Grech, dressed in long underwear, battered and bruised and hung on the Hills Hoist. The maid looks over her shoulder to ask the woman 'Who hung this out to dry, Mrs T?'. Mrs T responds 'Looks like one of Malcolm's ...'. - click to view larger image — 'Dirty washing' by Bill Leak

Living with the dragon

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