The Pauline Hanson Please Explain Cartoons

Politics: | Acolyte | Bill of Rights 2004 | COVID-19 | Elon Musk | Fascism | Media 2022 | MH370 | Parliament 2002-4 | Pauline Hanson cartoons | Raygun | Song of the South | Torture | Transgenderism | V for Vandetta | Wind farms | Woke | Women sports | Workplace relationships |

Pauline Hanson's Please Explain, Stepmates Studios, Melbourne, 2021.

Contents

  1. Right but wrong
  2. Episodes
  3. References

---------------------

1. Right but wrong

As a longtime Leftie and member of the Australian Greens, the writer is very much opposed to the politics and actions of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party. As an example of Right-wing extremism, it is one of Australia's worst, and similar to the Liberal / National Coalition, with an agenda the writer generally abhors, with some exceptions. This latter caveat is noted because, in 2025, there are a number of examples of a (temporary?) political ouroborus, wherein the policies of the extreme Left and the extreme Right overlap (viz. the mis-management of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine development), resulting in widespread political confusion and no longer any clear distinction between Left and Right as in the past. It has therefore been interesting to observe the humour and wit of the series of Pauline Hanson Please Explain cartoons that have appeared on the One Nation website and YouTube since they began screening on 12 November 2021. In many ways the series is the Australian equivalent of the anarchic and irreverent American comedy cartoon South Park. There is an obvious focus and bias towards the Australian political scene and largely steering clear of unrelated social issues, though it could be said that the relationship between politics and society is often indistinguishable. For this reason, topics such as gender, DEI / Woke and racism are often addressed, with a critical bias against the Left and parties such as the Australian Labor Party, Australian Greens and independents such as the Teal independents. The political attacks are often vicious towards people and parties, with alleged corruption and contradiction / hypocrisy colourfully presented through 2D animation. Production is by Stepmates Studios, Melbourne, Australia.

Cartoon image of Senator Lydia Thorpe burning an Australian flag. This never happened.

The cast of caricatures includes, but is not limited to, Barnaby "Beetroot" Joyce, Peter "Voldemort" Dutton, Adam "Brainiac" Bandt, Pauline "Please Explain" Hanson, Anthony "Albo" Albanese, Scott "Scomo" Morrison, and Bob "Mad Hatter" Katter. The cartoon series is noteworthy across the political spectrum because it addresses many federal parliamentary issues which otherwise do not enter the public consciousness to a desirable degree, at least in the opinion of the writer. Beneath the obvious political bias, and remembering that One Nation does not necessarily cow-tow to Right wing parties such as the Liberal / Nationals coalition, there is a lot of cutting commentary which is applicable across the board. The Melbourne-based writers and cartoon studio have done a good job in characterisation, presentation and script. Of course the writer takes objection to many of the comments made, but also sees the humour in many of the sections and issues presented. For anyone interested in Australian politics during the early 2020s the Please Explain cartoon series is therefore of interest. It may offend, it may amuse, and it may educate.

-----------------

2. Episodes

As of January 2025 there have been three seasons of the cartoon series and more than 105 episodes, sponsored by Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. They usually run between 3.30 - 4.30 minutes. A dated list is available on Wikipedia, though there are variants on the One Nation website and the majority on YouTube. The following listing attempts to be comprehensive. The first episode opens up with Paul Hanson as a school teacher taking a roll off a bunch of very naughty kids.

Season 1 - 2021-2022

  1. School's in Session / 12 November 2021 / 1.48
  2. Preferences / 12 November 2021 / 1.38
  3. Political Donations / 19 November 2021 / 1.52
  4. Excise Taxes / 26 November 2021 / 1.51
  5. Climate Change Policy / 3 December 2021 / 1.46 / Features Greta Thunberg.
  6. Political Dishonesty / 10 December 2016 / 2.09
  7. Political Self-Destruction / 17 December 2021 / 2.30
  8. Political Correctness / 24 December 2021 / 1.54
  9. Immigration / 14 January 2022 / 1.45
  10. The Prime Minister's Pension / 21 January 2022 / 1.58
  11. Australia Day / 26 January 2022 / 1.34
  12. Pork Barrelling / 28 January 2022 / 2.11
  13. Housing Affordability / 3 February 2022 / 2.27 / Monopoly.
  14. How to Pass the Buck / 10 February 2022 / 2.17 / COVID-19 dodge ball by feds and state pollies.
  15. Your ABC / 17 February 2022 / 2.06
  16. A Labor / Greens Government / 24 February 2022 / 2.16
  17. Party Policies / 3 March 2022 / 1.43
  18. The Canberra Swamp / 10 March 2022 / 1.44
  19. Disaster Management / 17 March 2022 / 2.18
  20. Presidential Politics / 24 March 2022 / 2.29
  21. Inflation / 7 April 2022 / 2.16
  22. The Campaign Easter Special / 14 April 2022 / 1.38
  23. The Media / 21 April 2022 / 1.57
  24. Voter Fraud / 24 April 2022 / 2.12 / Taken down by the Australian Electoral Commission
  25. Please Explain Keyboard Warriors / 5 May 2022 / 2.19
  26. Political Ads / 12 May 2022 / 2.26
  27. How to Vote Responsibly / 16 May 2022
  28. Battle of the Ballots / 19 May 2022 / 2.49
  29. The Aftermath / 17 June 2022 / 3.21

Season 2 - 2023

  1. A New Term / 2 February 2023
  2. Economy in the Toilet / 9 February 2023 / 2.27
  3. The Voice / 16 February 2023 / 2.09
  4. The Zero Sum Game / 23 February 2023 / 2.46
  5. Playing the Victim / 2 March 2023 / 2.26
  6. Aussie Pensioners / 4 March 2023 / 2.09
  7. Under the Bus / 9 March 2023 / 2.35
  8. The Teal Housewives / 16 March 2023 / 2.31
  9. The Big Red Dragon / 23 March 2023 / 2.49
  10. Back to the Future / 30 March 2023 / 2.34
  11. The NDIS / 6 April 2023 / 2.00
  12. The Woke Mind Virus / 20 April 2023 / 2.22
  13. Captain Planet / 27 April 2023 /2.47
  14. Jimonomics / 4 May 2023 / 2.15
  15. Jobseeker / 11 May 2023 / 3.13
  16. Box Tickers / 18 May 2023 / 2.26
  17. Woke Cinema / 25 May 2023 / 2.10
  18. Rental Crisis / 1 June 2023 / 2.40
  19. Chicken Little / 8 June 2023 / 2.07
  20. The Higgins Case / 15 June 2023 / 2.14
  21. The Future / 22 June 2023 / 2.48
  22. Recession / 29 June 2023 / 2.27
  23. The Nationals / 6 July 2023 / 2.46
  24. Woke Vision / 13 July 2023 / 3.09
  25. Censorship / 20 July 2023 / 3.41
  26. Referendum / 27 July 2023 / 2.48
  27. Housing Australia Future Fund / 3 August 2023 / 3.17
  28. Gender Confusion / 10 August 2023 / 3.00
  29. Global Boiling / 24 August 2023 / 2.49
  30. The Uluru Statement / 31 August 2023 / 3.03
  31. 60 Day Dispensing / 7 September 2023 / 2.42
  32. Behind the Scenes / 14 September 2023 / 2.00 / Making an episode of Please Explain.
  33. Qantas / 22 September 2023 / 4.36
  34. Net Zero / 28 September 2023 / 3.00
  35. The Media's Voice / 5 October 2023
  36. Vote No / 12 October 2023 / 3.56
  37. The Blame Game / 19 October 2023 / 3.51
  38. Airbus Albo / 24 November 2023 / 3.03
  39. Minecraft / 2 December 2023 / 5.15
  40. Alphanese / 8 December 2023 / 3.02
  41. What is a Woman? / 15 December 2023
  42. The Christmas Special / 22 December 2023 / 4.09 / A Christmas Carol parody.

Season 3 - 2024

  1. Distractions / 1 March 2024 / 4.17
  2. Chinese Spies / 8 March 2024 / 2.53
  3. Diversity, Inclusion, Equity / 15 March 2024 / 4.07
  4. Champagne Socialists / 22 March 2024 / 5.46
  5. The Albanese Government / 29 March 2024 / 4.00
  6. Digital ID / 5 April 2024 / 2.56
  7. Carbon Capture Storage in the GAB / 12 April 2024 / 3.00
  8. Net-Zero-Bot / 19 April 2024 / 4.27
  9. eSafety Commissioner / 26 April 2024 / 3.43
  10. Immigration Junkies / 3 May 2024 / 4.10
  11. Bad Budgets and Big Computers / 17 May 2024 / 3.34
  12. Political Hit Jobs / 24 May 2024 / 4.34
  13. The Polls / 31 May 2024 / 3.10
  14. The Man from Snowy Hydro / 7 June 2024 / 3.36
  15. The State of Queensland / 14 June 2024 / 2.22
  16. Inside Albo / 21 June 2024 / 4.11
  17. The Big Rort / 5 July 2024 / 3.10
  18. NDIS: The Movie / 12 July 2024 / 2.18
  19. Division / 19 July 2024 / 2.52
  20. Cashless / 26 July 2024
  21. A Migrant A Minute / 2 August 2024
  22. Oppression Olympics / 9 August 2024
  23. Broken Promises / 16 August 2024 / 3.30
  24. National Insecurity / 23 August 2024
  25. Forgetting Adam Bandt / 6 September 2024
  26. Albo's War on Everything / 13 September 2024 / 3.39
  27. Censor Ship aka. Misinformation and Censorship / 20 September 2024 / 3.25
  28. 'I promise I'm not Scomo' / 4 October 2024 / 3.49
  29. A Day in the Life of a Green / 11 October 2024 / 3.12
  30. The State of Melbourne / 18 October 2024 / 3.12
  31. Queensland Election / 25 October 2024 / 3.21
  32. Flashback Friday Qantas / 1 November 2024 / 4.36
  33. Lefties Losing It / 8 November 2024 / 3.48
  34. [Censored] / 15 November 2024 / 3.49 / Joe Rogan Experience.
  35. Please Explain (Part 1) / 22 November 2024 / 4.17
  36. Please Explain (Part 2) / 29 November 2024 / 4.49

As expected, some controversy has followed the Please Explain cartoon series. However, it has successfully walked the fine line between defamation and satire in an increasingly censorial era. Some of the public commentary - negative and positive - is included in the reference list below. The right-wing Sky News Australia is the most prominent promoter of the series, regularly interviewing both cartoonists from Stepmates and Pauline Hanson.

----------------------

3. References

AEC warns Pauline Hanson's One Nation over false voter fraud claims in cartoon attacking Labor, ABC News, 29 April 2022.

Antrobus, Blake, Robert Irwin threatens to sue One Nation leader Pauline Hanson for defamation over Please Explain cartoon, news.com.au, 15 June 2024.

Bulloch, Shayla, Taylah Fellows and Iwan Jones, Robert Irwin threatens to sue Pauline Hanson over video featuring himself and Bluey, www.couriermail.com.au, 16 June 2024.

Couper, Elena, Pauline Hanson raises money for satirical cartoon with $100 Christmas gin, www.news.com.au, 30 October 2023.

Geraghty, Sofia, 'Lighten up' - Pauline Hanson defends cartoon mocking $9m Queensland's Robert Irwin Bluey tourism campaign, Travel Weekly, 17 June 2024.

Kenny, Chris, Pauline Hanson slams UNSW report for claiming cartoon series is 'far right', Sky News Australia, 29 November 2023.

-----, Pauline Hanson's Please Explain cartoons 'hammering' home Australian issues, Sky News Australia, 17 June 2024, YouTube, duration: 3.34 minutes.

Pauline Hanson's Please Explain, Facebook, accessed 28 January 2025.

-----, IMDb, accessed 28 January 2025.

-----, YouTube, 2021+.

Pauline Hanson's Please Explain Wiki - List of Characters, fandom.com, accessed 28 January 2025.

Quinn, Karl, Pauline Hanson as a superhero? These cartoons could be the future, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 2021.

Smith, Tita, Pauline Hanson to start a South Park-style cartoon series turning Australian politicians into caricatures with Scott Morrison in a Hawaiian shirt, Bill Shorten with a knife and Barnaby Joyce with a beetroot for a head, Daily Mail, Australia, 9 November 2021.

Sowing doubt, without proof": One Nation animations exploit boundary between satire and disinformation, Factlab News, RMIT, 20 May 2022.

Stepmates, Pauline Hanson's Please Explain, Stepmates Studios, accessed 28 January 2025.

Wedesweiler, Madeleine, Pauline Hanson criticised over 'repugnant' video about disability scheme, SBS News, 7 April 2023.

------------------------

Politics: | Acolyte | Bill of Rights 2004 | COVID-19 | Elon Musk | Fascism | Media 2022 | MH370 | Parliament 2002-4 | Pauline Hanson cartoons | Raygun | Song of the South | Torture | Transgenderism | V for Vandetta | Wind farms | Woke | Women sports | Workplace relationships |

Last updated: 28 January 2025

Michael Organ, Australia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Michael Organ - publications

Image
Michael Organ - Publications, Presentations, Reports, Interview, Exhibitions, Videos & Blogs 1984-2024 Home This bibliography is arranged chronologically, from most recent to oldest. It includes material published in both print and online, ranging from books, book chapters, journal articles and conference papers through to websites, presentations (in Powerpoint and video format) and blogs. The content comprises academic studies, political and social commentary, local and international history, family history, and pop cultural and countercultural analyses. Musical items available on YouTube have also been added. Michael Organ (b.1956) is the sole author of all material listed below, unless otherwise indicated. For exhibitions in which he was involved, the names of the chief curators are given alongside his own. Finally, Twitter/X links are also provided, highlighting activity in the research and publication/promotion area. | Aborigines | Alice in Wonderland | Archi...
Read more

Michael Organ - webpage index

Image
Michael Organ - Research Collection 1999- 2022 (Archived) | Publications | Social media:  Facebook | MySpace (deleted) | Twitter/X - UOW 2009-2020 / 2023+ | Below is a copy of a webpage available on the University of Wollongong site from 1999 through to March 2022 when Michael Organ was an employee of that institution. Much of it has subsequently been transferred to a personal blogger.com site containing a comprehensive, up-to-date list of publications and presentations here: Publications . However, many of the links no longer work and some of the webpages no longer exist. An archived copy is available at the Internet Archive site here of part of the original site. Material is also available though a bepress SelectedWorks page. ------------------------ Welcome to the Michael Organ research web site. The archived Michael Organ MP web site contains copies of all parliamentary work - speeches, motions, questions to the government, etc. - plus media and press relea...
Read more

Captain Cook's disobeyance of orders 1770

Image
Captain James Cook: | Cook & the Appin Massacre 1816 | Disobedience of orders 1770 | Frontier Wars: Cook, Phillip & Macquarie | Woonona 28 April 1770 | Sydney Parkinson, [Wirra Wirra Wai! - Go Away!] Two of the Natives of New Holland, Advancing to Combat [Botany Bay, 29 April 1770] , engraving, London, 1773. Events prior to the men being shot by Lt. James Cook prior to landing at Botany Bay. ------------------- Contents The ultimate genocidal action The Admiralty Orders The Royal Society Advice The repudiation of duty 1770 Discovering a 'discovered' land Illegal possession of possessed Country & terra nullius lie Shoot first @ Botany Bay The invasion of 1788 Possession as myth References / Bibliography ------------------- 1. The ultimate genocidal action Lieutenant James Cook, in charge of HMB Endeavour, disobeyed direct, written orders when he claimed the east coast of Australia in the name of His Majest...
Read more