00:00It's quite a surreal honor, but I'm trying to lap it all up.
00:05I love it.
00:06So when did you get into cartooning?
00:09I think I've been doing it for forever.
00:11I've always been drawing and writing since I was a child.
00:14But my first professional gig here in Australia was about 2021 with the agent Sydney Morning
00:20Herald.
00:21And prior to that, I've been doing a lot of stuff online.
00:24So just cartooning for the people of the internet.
00:27Okay, so let's take a look at some of your work.
00:30First, the Prime Minister and the Communications Minister announcing social media is doing
00:34real harm to our kids.
00:36We want to send a message that bullying, violence, fraudulent criminal activity and misogyny
00:40will not be tolerated.
00:43And then the next panel, so the kids turn to watching regular TV news with Donald Trump
00:47and Elon Musk center stage.
00:49Is this your favorite of the year?
00:53It's not my favorite, but I think it's very relevant given what's just gone through parliament
00:57this week.
00:58And look, we do have a problem when we're saying one thing without legislation, but
01:04society at large is saying something quite different.
01:08So this type of behavior is everywhere.
01:10So how do you legislate against that?
01:12And I'm on the fence about a social media ban.
01:15I have a child of that age, so it is very relevant to me.
01:19But it's a difficult issue, isn't it?
01:23Indeed.
01:24And let's go to another cartoon now.
01:25The second cartoon referencing the recent climate protests in Newcastle.
01:30Police in the boats announcing protestors be warned that we have zero tolerance for
01:34any behavior threatening public safety, ensuring the access of a ship emblazoned with climate
01:40chaos accelerant.
01:42What drew you to this protest?
01:44Well, I mean, the vibrancy of that protestable, as they called it, which I adore that term,
01:50is that what really caught my eye in the photographs, but I cartoon a lot around climate
01:54change.
01:55It's been a key issue that I've concentrated on with my communication for at least 10 years
02:01now.
02:02And so it often works its way into my political cartooning.
02:05And just the idea that we're trying to ward off any threats to public safety by stopping
02:11protests when, of course, we all know the biggest threat to public safety moving forward
02:16is going to be the effects of climate change.
02:19How much longer can they deny this?
02:21I don't know.
02:22Now, I just wanted to ask you about the New Yorker magazine.
02:26How much of your work have you submitted over the years to the New Yorker?
02:31And why is that particular publication such a passion for you?
02:37When I first came back to Australia in 2020, of course, we were all in lockdowns.
02:42And I started this cartoon a day project as a way to build up my muscles, hoping to eventually
02:48do some sort of political cartooning here.
02:50But as part of that project, I started to be in touch with some of the New Yorker cartoonists,
02:54and I just love their work.
02:56So I think I've probably submitted 50 or 60 cartoons by now.
03:02It's a difficult process because you have to prepare these batches, ship them off, and
03:05then wait for months for a rejection, ultimately.
03:08And in the meantime, you can't do anything with those cartoons.
03:12They sit in this funny slush pile.
03:15So it's a luxurious process in that if you've got the time and the money to spare, you can
03:20do this until the end of time.
03:23But yeah, that's how they sort the wheat from the chaff, I suppose.
03:27And so you've submitted 50 odd.
03:30You're very keen to continue that?
03:32Yes, it's the ultimate challenge.
03:35And one day, one day, it's the amount I'll get to the top of.
03:39Yeah.
03:40And why the New Yorker?
03:43It's just the ultimate gag cartoon publication.
03:47That's how they started, and they've stayed true to those roots.
03:50And the fact that they're still thriving, it's just wonderful.
03:54And the cartoonists are some of the greatest people that I've interacted with online.
03:58They're so generous with their information and their time and their humor.
04:02So we need humor now.
04:04It can't all be serious.
04:05It can't all be political.
04:07Sometimes you just need a gag cartoon.
04:10And we mentioned at the start of the interview, you've got about 10 jobs or something like
04:15that.
04:16One of those jobs over these years has been this incredible association with the TV show
04:22Neighbours.
04:23Yes.
04:24When did you start on that, and what as, and how are you involved now?
04:29So I started with them, it was my first job after I graduated as a journalist, actually,
04:35from RMIT.
04:36And my first job was in the story department at Neighbours as the photocopy girl.
04:41And that was in 2020, sorry, year 2000, not 2020, 20 years prior to 2020.
04:47And I've worked in every role in the script department over the years, including up to
04:53script producer for a brief time.
04:56And right now I'm a freelance script writer for them, and it's just one of my favorite
05:00jobs.
05:01I've been on and off, not on consistently.
05:02Whenever I've lived overseas, I put the scripts aside, and then when I come back to Australia,
05:07they lovingly open the door.
05:09So it's been a wonderful, ongoing job for me, and yeah, I treasure it.
05:14So a lot of people would find the multiple jobs quite full on and frenetic and frantic,
05:20but you love it.
05:21Well, it's just the reality of being a professional creative in this country, in most countries
05:27now.
05:28So yeah, you embrace it.
05:29You learn to juggle your time, and you say yes to everything and then burn out, but it's
05:35the roller coaster ride.
05:36You have to in case there's a dry spell.
05:38So I'm used to it now.
05:39I couldn't go back to the other way of working, being in a full-time job, I don't think.
05:43Okay.
05:44Well, it's been delightful having a chat to you, Megan.
05:47And yeah, good luck with the New Yorker.
05:48I want to get a subscription just to see your cartoon finally appear in there.
05:55Oh, follow me on the socials.
05:57You'll see it.
05:58I'll trumpet it to the world.
05:59Good stuff.
06:00Megan Herbert there, Ian Camber.
06:01Cheers, and congratulations once again.
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