Bill Leak cartoon cleared of breaching Press Council standards

Controversial cartoonist Bill Leak has escaped censure for a cartoon he penned last December depicting a group of Indians trying to eat solar panels titled “Aid a La Mode”.

The cartoon, which triggered complaints to the Australian Press Council, depicted five gaunt individuals wearing traditional Indian attire, eating solar panels from a box bearing United Nations logos with one saying “It’s no good, you cant eat them” and another responding “Hang on, let me try one with a bit of mango chutney”.

In its ruling on the cartoon the APC decided it did not breach its standards of practice, saying it was an “exaggeration and absurdity”.