Talking pictures - ABC Online

Mike Bowers discusses the week in pictures with cartoonist for the Sydney Morning Herald Cathy Wilcox.

MICHAEL BOWERS, PRESENTER: I'm Mike Bowers. I'm director of photography for the Global Mail. I'm talking pictures this morning with cartoonist for the new compact Sydney Morning Herald, the one and only Cathy Wilcox.

Welcome.

CATHY WILCOX, CARTOONIST, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Morning Mike. And I'm already compact, so that was good.

MICHAEL BOWERS: You are compact and you work for a compact. Have you had to compact your cartoons any?

CATHY WILCOX: They found ways squashing me in to tighter spaces still.

(Referring to cartoon by Cathy Wilcox, Sydney Morning Herald)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Look, Stephen Conroy this week, his proposed changes to the media law certainly created reaction.

CATHY WILCOX: Yes. Yes, I've been waiting for an opportunity to draw Stephen Conroy so I'm glad he stuck his head above the parapet. He's got such a nice rounded head.

"I insist on doing nothing much, and I insist on doing it now." So what sort of an ultimatum is that?

MICHAEL BOWERS: Yes that's right. And we're going to get it through Parliament this week by the way.

CATHY WILCOX: Mmmm.

(Referring to collage of Stephen Conroy and leaders such as Kim Jung-un on Daily Telegraph front page)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Look there's been a lot of debate about the way some media organisations have reacted to this. Do you think this is one step too far?

CATHY WILCOX: Never! Never! You know, isn't that the sort of basic editorial principle? No it's good, it's got comic value

(Referring to cartoon by Jon Kudelka, The Australian)

Jon Kudelka seems to think he'll only be happy if he's compared to not people like Stalin , Mao and Castro, Kim, Mugabe and Ahmadinejad, but Jesus, Ghandi, Einstein, Jobs, Superman and Socrates

CATHY WILCOX: I like very much Kudelka's take on it. It is kind of a funny take on how the media disappears up its own fundaments when the cartoons are about the covers of the newspapers.

MICHAEL BOWERS: Yes that's right. It's an ever decreasing spiral.

CATHY WILCOX: There needs to another newspaper front page that about the cartoon that's about the newspaper covers.

(Referring to photograph of Stephen Conroy by Andrew Meares, Fairfax/The Pulse)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Photographer Andrew Meares captured Mr Conroy in the moment after he said a profanity that starts with S and ends in h-i-t.

CATHY WILCOX: Are you allowed to say that on this program?

MICHAEL BOWERS: Well they'll probably have to beep it out.

CATHY WILCOX: Right OK(laughs).

(Referring to photograph of Stephen Conroy by Alex Ellinghausen, Fairfax/The Pulse)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Wonderful picture by Alex Ellinghausen of Conroy leaving the Sky studios. And doesn't Mr Turnbull look like he's having fun with this?

CATHY WILCOX: Very Chesire Cat.

MICHAEL BOWERS: Yes but I think he just loves playing the reasonable response person. He's Mr reasonable. I think if he ever ran a party it would be the reasonable party.

(Referring to photograph of Julia Gillard and Quentin Bryce by Andrew Meares, Fairfax/The Pulse)

It was Canberra's 100th birthday and they didn't get a telegram from the Queen but they did have quite a party.

A lot has changed. We have a female Prime Minister and a female Governor-General for the 100th anniversary. We've come a long way, Cathy.

CATHY WILCOX: We have, we have come a long way. I think the Governor-General is choosing to sip her champagne. Gillard's being careful.

(Referring to photographs by Andrew Meares, Fairfax)

MICHAEL BOWERS: They need a couple of little tables to put their glasses on.

CATHY WILCOX: I think it's more discreet to just pop it in your handbag don't you think.

MICHAEL BOWERS: Look we're all used to robust language being in Parliament, but what we're not used to is seeing it come from the public gallery. There were cries of liar and mole. It sounded like something from Puberty Blues.

CATHY WILCOX: Was Alan Jones having a day off the radio or something? Did he just come down for it?

MICHAEL BOWERS: I don't know but if you're trying to make a point couldn't you come up with something better than (puts on strong Australian accent) mole? Hey you Mole!

CATHY WILCOX: Mole. It's kind of quaint isn't it.

MICHAEL BOWERS: It's very Australian isn't it.

(Referring to photograph of Tony Abbott by Andrew Meares, Fairfax/The Pulse)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Andrew Meares tweeted that this was Tony's reaction to it being called out when he looked at Julia. You could look at it as a smirk couldn't you?

CATHY WILCOX: He's devising a respectful putdown to the hecklers in the gallery at that moment. He's thinking how can I point out to them he's not being respectful in Parliament.

(Referring to photograph of Kevin Rudd by Andrew Meares, Fairfax/The Pulse)

MICHAEL BOWERS: I have got to say the picture of Kevin Rudd though did harken to the Simpsons, doesn't it? It's like Mr Burns "excellent".

(Clip from The Simpsons plays)

MR BURNS: Excellent!

(Clip ends)

CATHY WILCOX: I thought he was just praying for a good outcome with the papal election - may it be a Pope that speaks one of the languages I speak really, really well.

MICHAEL BOWERS: Do you speak Spanish?

CATHY WILCOX: I have actually been learning Spanish Mike, that's lucky isn't it. It was very pre-emptive of me.

MICHAEL BOWERS: I want to see you throw back to Barrie in Spanish then. It's been a great pleasure having you on.

CATHY WILCOX: Oh-oh. Muchas gracias. Barrie e a tu. (laughs)

MICHAEL BOWERS: Hasta la vista Bazza.