Kangaroo logo ditched for bird poo on windscreen, says Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce says the new Australian Made logo is like a ‘cross between the coronavirus and bird poo’.

Australia's new gold wattle logo.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has weighed in on the decision to sideline the iconic Australian Made kangaroo logo, calling the move a “dippy idea” and likening its replacement to a “cross between the coronavirus and bird poo”.

“Last year in parliament I was promoting our kangaroo Aust­ralia Made logo that I fought hard to … improve to show what products came from our nation and in what proportion,” he said in a fiery post on Facebook.

“Now I hear of some dippy idea to replace the kangaroo with an interpretive emblem that is a cross between the coronavirus and bird poo on your windscreen at 80km an hour.”

The move to replace the kangaroo with wattle was recommended in a report by Australia’s Nation Brand Advisory Council and accepted by Trade Minister Simon Birmingham. The report said that while the animal was recognised internationally, it ­failed to promote industries such as education and technology.

“Australia is internationally popular for its friendly people and natural beauty,” the report said. “However, there is room to improve perceptions around our busi­ness capability. There is an opportunity to increase foreign investment if we can strengthen awareness of our products and services overseas.”

While the report conceded “we love our kangaroo”, it said it considered whether it would help shifting perceptions of Australia “or simply reinforce what people already knew about us”.

Mr Joyce said in his post that the “splotch of brilliance” cost the nation $10m. “Unsurprisingly, people who have been made aware of this believe our market­ers have left the train station called Whoopie,” he said.

“How on earth is someone overseas going to know ‘Oh, obvious­ly a modern art marvel, an obscure representation of a wattle … With two big letters on it. Far more appropriate than a kangaroo. I mean, kangaroos, where are they from?”

But Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the Australian Made kangaroo was “here to stay”. “There’s been another­ brand which will be used in trade shows, which features the beautiful wattle … But the Aust­ralian Made kangaroo logo is here to stay,” he said. “The iconic kangaroo has been used, it’s known throughout the world.”