A newspaper cartoonist has insulted Victoria’s new Prime Minister Jacinta Allan after drawing her completely naked on the catwalk.
The cartoon was published on Tuesday by the Herald Sun’s Mark Knight, depicting the Labor leader naked on the catwalk at Melbourne Fashion Week, a reference to the fable of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.
“From the Commonwealth Games cancellation collection… the Prime Minister’s new clothes,” the cartoon’s caption reads.
The Walkley Award-winning cartoonist sought to link the folk tale to Ms Allan’s questioning by a committee over the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.
Ms Allan objected to the depiction, saying women deserve to be able to see themselves in the media in a way that ‘does not use sexualised images’.
Mr Knight vehemently defended his cartoon, saying it is not “sexist”, describing it instead as an honest “political comment”.
The Prime Minister criticized the cartoon during a conversation with the media on Tuesday.
“It’s 2023 and I think it’s reasonable to expect that the Herald Sun cartoonist would be able to draw women without using sexualised imagery,” Ms Allan said.
“I think it’s completely reasonable that women, regardless of profession or background, can have themselves represented in a way that doesn’t use sexualized images.
“It’s not the 1950s, it’s 2023.”
Asked if she had seen male politicians drawing naked on a catwalk, Ms Allan said: ‘Not that I can remember.’
Former Labor Premier of Victoria between 1999 and 2007, Steve Bracks, also condemned the cartoon, saying ‘we need to do better’.
“I was prime minister for almost eight years and not once was I subjected to this horrible, sexualized treatment,” he said.
“Prime Minister Jacinta Allan received in less than a month. We have to do better.’
The leader of the opposition in the state’s upper house, Georgie Crozier, defended the cartoon, calling the response a “distraction” from the policy debate.
“There are bigger issues facing Victoria than the Prime Minister worrying about a cartoon,” Ms Crozier said.
“The Prime Minister has been completely exposed and must lead the inquiry into the Commonwealth Games and tell Victorians what happened.”
Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight has come under fire from Victorian Prime Minister Jacinta Allan (pictured) after he drew her naked while on the catwalk at a fashion show
Mr Knight defended his position on his presentation of politicians after creating a cartoon in which Mr Andrews appears naked, referencing the iconic album cover of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’.
He has also previously drawn both opposition leader Peter Dutton and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott naked.
Mr Knight drew Ms Allan’s cartoon after she was questioned by the committee ahead of the Commonwealth Games on Monday.
“I felt like some of the information that came out exposed the Prime Minister a little bit and my cartoonist brain clicked into gear, and it was Fashion Week and I thought, ‘well, this isn’t a bad idea,'” Knight told ABC Radio.
Mr Knight later told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that he “doesn’t see the Prime Minister as a woman”, but simply as “the Prime Minister”, and that he would have attracted any politician in that scenario in the same way.
‘If Daniel Andrews had still been Prime Minister, I would have drawn him in the same position on the catwalk.
‘I thought it was a very honest and non-sexualised commentary on the Prime Minister, using an age-old folktale.’
First published in 1837 by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the fable is a cautionary tale about a vain emperor.
in the tail, the emperor is prompted to purchase a suit made of fabric that cannot be seen by those who are stupid or incompetent.
The con artists then pretend to braid a suit and pretend to dress him in it, which the emperor does not resist, so as not to look stupid.
The emperor, who thinks he is dressed in a nice suit, then parades naked through the city.
Mr Knight (pictured) defended his cartoon, saying it was honest ‘political commentary’ and that he would have drawn former Prime Minister Daniel Andrews in the same way