Nisbet, Alastair, 1958- :"Psst! ...if we can get away with this, the more cash left for booze, smokes and pokies!". 29 May 2013

Shows four school children and a family of four, including a woman smoking and an elderly man and woman dressed in school uniforms and holding empty bowls. They are walking in the direction of a sign advertising 'free school meals' and say to each other 'Psst!... if we can get away with this, the more cash left for booze, smokes and pokies!'. Wider context refers to the introduction of a free breakfast scheme in New Zealand schools. The cartoon suggests that there are families who spend their discretionary income on cigarettes, alcohol and gambling, and that they will take advantage of the scheme.

This cartoon sparked considerable controversy following its publication in The Marlborough Express on 29 May 2013. Along with a cartoon published in the Press on a similar theme (see DCDL-0025132) it was widely criticised. A complaint was laid to the Human Rights Commissioner, who stated that it did not meet the threshold for discrimination, although commissioner Dame Susan Devoy called it racist, offensive, appalling and noted that it stigmatised 'certain populations' and those who lived in poverty. Coverage was extensive and included, for example, coverage on Campbell Live, articles in the Marlborough Express, the Press and the Herald on 31 May. The cartoonist's response was published in the Dominion Post on 4 June 2013 and both the Press and the Marlborough Express defended Nisbet's right to express his opinion. The cartoons were also the subject of an extended Media Watch programme on Radio New Zealand.

Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).