Johannes Leak’s response to threatened legal action for cartoon carictarturisation  (Leak returns fire over Farugi defamation threat, The Australian, 19/7/24) strikes a chord of concern.

The imposition of an increasing number of barriers to free speech, mean fewer and fewer people have the confidence to comment freely on issues. Cartoonists have been an exception to this rule. They defy the odds  by calling those out who make shortsighted decisions. 

Good cartoonists honestly and unswervingly highlight the pros and cons of issues. While they invoke people and personalities into cartoons, they do this to magnify matters about which we should be concerned.

Any law or its interpretation that would stifle the free expression of cartoonists would be a retrograde step. Cartoonists’ freedom to express deep-seated community opinions must be preserved.

However, if restriction laws were to be introduced, I am sure cartoonists would find ways of continuing to offer us their take on issues and decisions made by those occupying seats of power.