The Sketch: Oodles of doodles prick the Canberra bubble via a frontbench view

Stephen Jones’s take on the Coalition’s quota debate.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. How many heckles is a question time caricature worth?

There’s a surprise new addition to the political cartoon colony: Labor frontbencher Stephen Jones. Hot off the (iPad) presses, he’s given The Australian an exclusive look at his latest masterpiece, Tackling the Quota Question, a scathing take on Scott Morrison and his Bubble boys.

“There’s been the issues that have been mounting and mounting and mounting around why the government is dealing with gender issues. Last week, he was hiding under a desk when you had 10,000 people out the front,” Jones explained his artistic vision.

“This week, the fumbled press conference, where I thought his first 10 minutes were very good, and he just blew that up in the last 10 minutes — it’s like this guy can’t grab the hose, he’s tripping over the hose, the hose is grabbing him.

“And it’s always somebody else’s responsibility.”

The member for Whitlam whips up at least one sketch each sitting week from his seat in the opposition trenches. Question time provides ample opportunity to study his prime ministerial subject, who this week was given the nickname “the liar from the Shire” by Liberal staffers.

Jones typically draws Morrison with a “Jen” tattoo and white thongs (with which, as a bloke from Wollongong, he has a real problem). “With Morrison, you look at his features and you go, OK, there’s something going on about that jaw so he’s got an exaggerated jaw — glass or otherwise — and he tries to portray himself as this knockabout bloke and it’s kind of not real,” he said.

Jones is the only political cartoonist working on Capital Hill and Mike Bowers believes he’s the only politician whose work has appeared on Talking Pictures.

“Because you are sitting in the chamber, you get a very different perspective than somebody … in the gallery or watching on TV,” Jones said. “And you hear things other people don’t. You see things other people don’t. It’s an insight — it’s not the only insight.”

This isn’t a new hobby. Jones has been doodling since he was seven, and once got chucked out of Cubs for a cheeky cartoon on a seat. Each political piece can take between five minutes and two hours, depending on how detailed they are and when or where inspiration strikes. In the past 10 years, he’s managed to fit his musing in around his political workload.

As shadow assistant treasurer, he estimates around one-third of all legislation comes through his office — banking, tax, superannuation, corporate law.

The feedback has been mainly positive. “For people who know I’ve been doing it for years, they go — oh that’s cool, that’s funny. And for people who don’t, they go – oh did you do that yourself? Or did someone else do it?”

Who will feature next on his notepad? Anthony Albanese? “I’ll do one and give it to him as a present,” Jones says with a smile.

What is the point of Scott Morrison: my cartoon from QT today pic.twitter.com/jWlI3WwwWa

— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) March 24, 2021

In Question Time today the PM was asked again if he’s investigated Brittany Higgins claim that his office was a actively briefing it against her.

He hasn’t.... pic.twitter.com/utS0EETdC0

— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) March 18, 2021

The Canberra Bubble (with apologies to Banksy) #QT#auspolpic.twitter.com/xXkEQ4HmU8

— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) March 16, 2021

Today thousands of women gathered at Parliament House demanding to be heard. The Prime Minister heard nothing. pic.twitter.com/jjbClP8K2c

— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) March 15, 2021