The new paradigm | National Museum of Australia

For the first time in more than 70 years the federal election delivered a hung parliament. For 17 long days, the nation waited as three rural independents – Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott – negotiated with Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to determine who would form government.

Both Labor and the Coalition made commitments for parliamentary reform and regional development, but it was Gillard who finally emerged at the head of a minority Labor government.

Political eight-panel cartoon depicting Bob Brown. The first panel has the title 'Greens and Gold'. In the next panel, text says 'Following their success at the election, Greens leader Bob Brown demands successful candidate Adam Bandt becomes the Minister for Sport'. Brown, wearing a Canberra Raiders rugby league jumper, says 'For all future rugby league internationals Australia will be represented by the Green Machine Canberra Raiders'. In the next panel, several footballers are seen. At the top is written 'Advance Australia Fair will be replaced by a Tom Jones classic.' One of the footballers is singing 'As they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home.' In the next panel, a man pushes a boy in a billy cart. At the top is written 'V8 supercars will be cancelled and billy cart derbies will be introduced.' The man says 'Geez, the things I've got to do to try and keep Bob onside.' In the next panel, a green and white cap is seen. Next to it is written '"Baggy" green has the connotations of plastic shopping bags - a term which offends dear leader. It will be henceforth known as the "recycled from eco-friendly hemp fibre green".' In the next panel, a man is seen smoking marijuana. At the top is written 'Doping policy will be changed to allow marijuana use.' A thought bubble from the man says 'Woah. Another couple of tokes of this Hobart hydro and the Poms may actually have a chance of winning the Ashes.' In the next panel, a guitarist stands on a stage, arms held up. At the top is written 'Green Day will be signed for AFL and NRL grand final pre-match entertainment for the next 20 years.' The guitarist is saying 'This one goes out to Uncle Bob ... a cover of New Order's "Everything's gone green".' In the last panel, Bob Brown stands wearing a T-shirt with a green 'Hammer and Sickle' symbol on it. At the top is written 'Halftime oranges will be replace by watermelons.' Brown is saying 'They're green on the outside and red on the inside, just like me.'. - click to view larger image — 'Greens and gold' by Rob Duong and Ears McEvoy

Political cartoon depicting Bob Brown as the Colossus of Rhodes. An enormous statue of him stands astride the entrance to a harbour. The statue is wearing a loose toga and holds a flaming lantern in its right hand. Beneath the statue, an ancient Greek ship is near the harbour entrance. Around the edge of the harbour are buildings and smaller towers. At the left of the statue, on part of the harbour wall, is written the word 'SENATE'. - click to view larger image — 'Bob Brown Colossus of the Senate' by Rocco Fazzari

Political cartoon depicting Tony Abbott at home. He stands near a bench, wearing striped swimmers. He speaks into a tin can attached to a string. The string goes into a hole in the wall. Abbott, looking angry, is saying 'Yair ... that hopeless gumby, Windsor ... said he wouldn't support me because of broadband, whatever the @#*!! that is ... what did you say? ... you're breaking up ... what?!!? ...' In the background is a lounge room with a TV in it. Julia Gillard is on the TV screen, saying 'Oi would loik to soy thank you to the poiple of Orstriua ...'. - click to view larger image — 'Broadband' by Dean Alston

Political cartoon depicting Rob Oakeshott, Bob Katter and Tony Windsor. They all wear black Mexican cowboy suits, with red shirts. Oakeshott and Windsor wear black Mexican sombreros, while Katter wears his trademark white cowboy hat. Katter stands between Oakeshott and Windsor; he wears a pair of pistols in holsters on his hips. He has his arms around the other two. All three smile broadly. - click to view larger image — 'Three amigos' by John Tiedemann

Political cartoon featuring Julia Gillard. In the first scene, she is standing before Simon Crean, who sits in a chair. She holds a piece of paper marked 'Bob Katter List of Demands'. She says to Crean 'Righto Simon, make Queensland bananas compulsory in all school lunches ...' In the next scene, she stands before Stephen Conroy, who also sits. She holds a piece of paper marked 'Rob Oakeshott List of Demands'. She says to Conroy 'Okay Stephen, get the broadband roll-out finished in Taree and Port Macquarie by Monday ...' In the next scene, she stands before John Faulkner, who also sits. She holds a piece of paper marked 'Andrew Wilkie List of Demands'. She says to Faulkner 'John - tell him we'll have the troops out of Afghanistan by next weekend ...' In the next scene, she stands before Mark Arbib, who also sits. She holds a piece of paper marked 'Tony Windsor List of Demands'. She says to Arbib 'Mark - hire someone to kill Barnaby Joyce ...' In the last scene, she stands before Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan, who both sit. She holds a piece of paper marked 'Adam Bandt List of Demands'. She says to them 'Kevin and Wayne - sorry, but the two of you will have to get married ...' At the bottom of the cartoon is written 'Turning back the votes'. - click to view larger image — 'Turning back the votes' by Bill Leak

Political cartoon depicting Bob Katter, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott sitting around a campfire. There is a billy hung over the fire. Katter wears a brown check shirt, white trousers and cowboy boots. Gillard wears a grey suit. Abbott wears red swimmers. Katter holds a piece of paper and is saying 'Tony wants you to keep your promises, Rob wants your sums to add up and I want a space program to send a cow over the moon.' Gillard says 'We might be able to do the cow.' Abbott has his hand up and is saying 'Two cows!' - click to view larger image — 'Two cows!' by Jon Kudelka

Political cartoon depicting six men around a table. Four are sitting; one rests his head on the table. One has his feet on the table; that is all that can be seen of him. All of the entirely visible men have featureless heads, with no faces, ears or hair. On the table are papers, a laptop computer, pens and some coffee mugs. One of the men stands and says 'We've got to take a good hard look at ourselves ...' Above him, a single lightbulb under a shade shines down upon the group. - click to view larger image — ‘Faceless men take hard look’ by Peter Nicholson

Political cartoon depicting Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan standing on the lawn outside of Parliament House. Gillard holds a small box; she has opened the wire door to it. Out flies a tiny jet airliner, which is heading for the open sky. She is saying 'Be free, Kevin!' Swan watches with a peaceful expression on his face. At the bottom of the cartoon is written 'Kevin Rudd is released back into his natural habitat'. - click to view larger image — 'Be free, Kevin!' by Jon Kudelka

Political cartoon depicting Tony Abbott in a restaurant. He sits at a table. His head has been cut out of a photograph and added to the cartoon in the collage style. The rest of him is drawn very economically, in a simple black line. He holds up a glass of red wine. A waiter stands next to the table, holding up a bottle labelled 'Sour Grapes'. Abbott is saying 'Excellent!' At the top of the cartoon is written 'To the loser, the spoils ...'. - click to view larger image — 'Sour grapes' by Reg Lynch

Political cartoon depicting a beach scene, where the water and sand meet. To the left on the sand is a pair of red swimmers. To the right, a yellow and green budgerigar walks away from the swimmers. Written above the horizon, in large yellow letters, is 'THE END'. Under this, in much smaller characters, is written 'Of part one'. - click to view larger image — 'The end' by Michael Leunig

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