Roll up, roll up to Behind the Lines 2017 and marvel at the political cartooning spectacle that is The Three-Ring Circus.

Showcasing the year’s best political cartoons, The Three-Ring Circus captures a world where fact and fiction collide and ringmasters, jugglers and acrobats have all stepped into the political Big Top.

This year provided a cavalcade of political characters and plenty of sensational events to capture the imagination of cartoonists and the public alike. There was citizenship chaos, calls for constitutional reform and a postal plebiscite. The federal Budget caught attention with its invitation to consider both ‘good debt’ and ‘bad debt’ and Donald Trump dominated front pages with his compelling Twitter habit and outspoken responses.

With its many tumultuous events, 2017 was another rich year for our nation’s political cartoonists who continue look behind the lines of the daily political sideshows to capture the spirit of our democracy in all its passion, scepticism and humour.

Behind the Lines 2017 will be on display from 10 February to 29 March 2018.

Behind the Lines is a travelling exhibition developed by Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, proudly supported by the National Collection Institutions Touring and Outreach program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.

Image: David ROWE / Behind the Lines 2017 - Hero Cartoon