Michael Agzarian’s latest billboard mocks Anthony Albanese for his selfie with Donald Trump. Photo: Supplied.
A Wagga artist known for displaying provocative artwork in his shopfront window has found an unlikely point of agreement between people on opposite sides of politics – his call for the government to scrap AUKUS and redirect the money to more immediate domestic concerns.
After a spate of recent intimate partner killings, Michael Agzarian put up a banner in his Fitzmaurice Street business Advision calling for the $360 billion AUKUS submarine program to be scrapped and the money spent on housing, domestic violence support and higher JobSeeker payments.
AUKUS is a defence pact between Australia, the US and Britain under which Australia plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The program is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars, with critics questioning its cost, complexity and whether the submarines will be delivered as planned.
“It makes me sick that we’re spending $360 billion on something we may never see, and yet the government won’t spend a few million to ensure there are safe locations for women in danger,” Mr Agzarian told Region.
“I have two girls and I’m saddened by how tone-deaf our government is to the deaths of women and children every week.”
His comments come after Wagga Women’s Health Centre’s president Vickie Burkinshaw warned that many women in the city were staying with abusive partners because there was nowhere else affordable to go.
The AUKUS banner calling for funding to be redirected to measures helping DV victims. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Mr Agzarian’s banner had attracted support from people who would normally disagree on politics.
“I think it’s one thing that has united conservatives and the left in Wagga – we all hate AUKUS and think the money could be better spent,” activist Leigh Swansborough said.
“Chris Roche is on the other side of the political spectrum to me, yet he agrees with this.”
Mr Roche, president of the Wagga Residents and Ratepayers Association, said AUKUS represented poor value for taxpayers.
“I think we can find a cheaper alternative to AUKUS and reallocate the money to more necessary Australian causes, like homelessness,” he said.
“The other problem is we may never get AUKUS, especially if Trump throws a tantrum.”
Mr Agzarian has become well known in Wagga for using his shopfront as a billboard for political and social commentary.
His work has previously attracted controversy, including a display featuring conservative political figures such as Riverina MP Michael McCormack in Hogan’s Heroes style Nazi uniforms. Police seized the items and Mr Agzarian was charged, but the matter was ultimately dismissed by the courts after a lengthy legal battle.
More recently, he has turned his artwork towards Labor politicians and the government’s policies.
One piece targeted Foreign Minister Penny Wong, with Mr Agzarian saying she was “wrong” not to impose sanctions on Israel, which he accuses of genocide.
Labor Foreign Minister Penny Wong was a recent target. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
His current display mocks Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for taking a selfie with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Agzarian said he was pleased his artwork was provoking debate and generating support for ideas that were not always given much attention in mainstream politics.
“I’ve had a difficult year. I reached a point where I wondered whether I should keep doing this because it’s so time-consuming and exhausting,” he said.
“But I was stopped by a woman who told me how much she loved what I do.”
He said his artwork was intended to present views he believed were not being addressed by mainstream media.
“Look at the ABC. They’re so biased in their coverage,” he said.
“It’s always Iran as the perpetrator and Palestinians who are terrorists, but they never consider the other side.”
Mr Agzarian went to court over this image displayed in his shopfront in March/April 2025. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Mr Agzarian, 69, was born in Egypt and grew up in Sydney.
He moved to Wagga after a graphic design agency he worked for opened an office in the city, and stayed after starting his own business.
He said he had been putting artwork in his shopfront window for about three years.
“Ninety per cent of people come in and express their support,” he said.
“Once or twice they might stick their head in and call me a dickhead. They’re entitled to their opinion.”
