Controversial cartoonist Michael Leunig has been accused of unfairly judging mothers in a cartoon that suggested some love their phones and Instagram more than their children.

Key points: Some people took to Twitter to "fix" and re-caption the cartoon to address its apparent criticism of mothers

Some people took to Twitter to "fix" and re-caption the cartoon to address its apparent criticism of mothers Mothers said the cartoon failed to understand the reality of modern parenting

Mothers said the cartoon failed to understand the reality of modern parenting Others argued the issue of parents becoming distracted by their phones was a fair target

The cartoon, published in Melbourne's The Age newspaper on Wednesday, showed a mother reading her phone as she pushed an empty pram while an infant lay on the ground behind her.

A four-line poem accompanying the cartoon said the mother was "busy on Instagram" when her baby had fallen from the pram "unseen and alone, wishing that he was loved like a phone".

Feminist author Clementine Ford said Leunig's cartoon amounted to "condescending judgement" and labelled him a "f***ing gronk".

"I bet you never spent hours walking babies around in a pram, feeling isolated and alone and terrified," she wrote in a tweet, which has been retweeted more than 400 times and attracted more than 3,500 likes.

She wrote that a lot of her time spent on her phone as a mother was for work and connecting with other mothers for support.

"But actually, none of those reasons are any of your f***ing business. If a woman is on her phone and pushing a pram, it's nothing to do with you."

Others took to Twitter to "fix" the cartoon or post artistic responses of their own.

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But others argued that mothers and parents becoming distracted by their phones in 2019 was a legitimate target for a cartoon.

"Leunig is just making a point," former Liberal minister and Age columnist Amanda Vanstone tweeted.

"I think it's ok. Not fantastic, but ok."

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Sister weighs into debate

The artist's sister and fellow cartoonist, Mary Leunig, took to Facebook in response to the debate and reshared a violent image in which she shoots her brother.

"Michael needs to listen to you [critics of his recent cartoon] for a change," she wrote in a comment on the post.

The original caption on the reposted image was "I finally get the recognition I deserve by shooting my brother in the bum".

The ABC has contacted Leunig to invite him to respond.

Two readers of The Age took to its opinion pages on Thursday to protest the cartoon.

"See Leunig has another 'bad mummy' cartoon," Margaret Brennan wrote.

"Leunig, every so often your misogyny creeps out. You can't help yourself, can you?" Kath McKay said.

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'Oh God, not again'

It is not the first time Leunig's cartoons — which often offer whimsical reflections on the modernisation of society — have courted controversy.

He has previously produced cartoons challenging the science behind vaccinations, including a 2015 cartoon which depicted a mother pushing her baby away from a volley of syringes raining down from the sky.

Leunig's 2015 cartoon was widely interpreted as supporting the anti-vaccination movement. ( leunig.com.au )

In 2015, Leunig told the ABC he and his family had received death threats amid the backlash to the cartoon.

"'The belligerence of the pro-vaccination is quite surprising," he said.

"So belligerent, so angry, that one isn't marching with the regiment. It bothers me to see the mob being so oppressive to such people."

Cartoonist Fiona Katauskas said when she saw the most recent cartoon she did not feel outraged, so much as "oh God, not again".

"It is a theme that he's returned to over and again, the general inadequacy and selfishness of modern mothers, so it is depressing that that tired old trope is still being run out but it also shows how out of date it is as well," she said.

But she said she was not surprised at the newspaper's decision to publish it.

"I don't think The Age would be too unhappy with causing a bit of a stir and pumping out the clicks," she said.

"The role of a cartoonist too is to try and provide a bit of a discussion.

"He does have a history of doing cartoons really judging women and judging mothers for childcare and all sorts of things, so it does feel like that is a bit of an ongoing theme and a bit of a bee in his bonnet."