The Australia Day lamb ad that doesn’t mention Australia Day

THE annual Australia Day lamb ad has become an Aussie tradition. But the latest one has been dubbed the most political to date.

IT’S the Australia Day ad campaign which doesn’t mention Australia Day, and it’s been dubbed the most political lamb ad to date.

Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) annual lamb campaigns have gained a cult following, and the one launched this morning is no exception, pushing lamb as “the most multicultural meat”.

Eschewing the use of the words “Australia Day”, the ad celebrates modern multiculturalism, recreating the settlement of Australia and poses the question “Aren’t we all boat people?”

The ad opens on an Aussie beach, with two indigenous Australians preparing to light up a barbie.

Some European settlers arrive via boat and join the party, followed rapidly by a sea of new revellers including the First Fleet, the French, the Russians, Chinese, Greeks, Italians all the way up to our most recent migrants, all bearing gifts and food to add flavour to the celebrations.

‘Aren’t we all boat people?’, Poh Ling Yeow asks, to cheers from the lamb ad revellers. Picture: Supplied

While the ad makes reference to celebrations happening on January 26, it doesn’t refer to it as “Australia Day”, instead it “shines a light on who we are as a nation, and celebrates modern Australia no matter what the date”.

Back at the rapidly-growing beach party, a flood of cameos is happening among the sea of new arrivals: from “lambassador” Sam Kekovich, Olympian Cathy Freeman, former NRL player Wendell Sailor, former cricketer Adam Gilchrist, comedian Rhys Nicholson and MasterChef’s Poh Ling Yeow.

And the ironic tongue-in-cheek humour which has become the annual lamb campaign’s trademark is again front and centre.

Ahead of the Kiwis arriving at the party, the original host is asked “You did remember to let the neighbours know, right?”

As three New Zealanders ask where to put “the chilly bin”, the host observes: “I couldn’t keep ‘em away.”

Towards the end of the ad, a reveller sees yet another boat coming into land and says “Look, there’s the boat people”.

Poh Ling Yeow responds: “Hang on. Aren’t well all boat people?”

The ad also nods to the controversy which broke out last year, when the ad apparently offended vegans, a subject revisited this morning when comedian Dave Hughes launched an ‘attack’ on Kekovich and the MLA to debunk the idea that eating meat makes you “more Australian”.

As three barefoot people clad in hippie-like clothes walk along the beach, one strumming a guitar, to join the party one of the main actors asks “should we crack a vegan joke?”.

They decide against it.

Wendell Sailor is one of a number of cameo appearances in the ad. Picture: Supplied

Originally published as The Australia Day lamb ad that doesn’t mention Australia Day