Fiona Katauskas’ departure from Guardian Australia points to a larger decline in permanent cartooning jobs, even as political cartoons remain vital to satire, public debate and local media culture. It is a sad day for Australian cartooning when an artist as good as Fiona Katauskas has not had her contract renewed. Australian cartoons moved from weeklies like the Bulletin into dailies during the early 20th century as an appeal to tired commuters to buy and read an afternoon paper. But in the age of online publications and shrinking newsrooms, there are a few reasons to hang onto political cartoonists. Australian cartooning more broadly had been progressing in the opposite direction, diluting the “boys club”.