Meat & Livestock Australia’s new Australia Day themed-ad that labels vegetarianism as un-Australian has been given the thumbs up from the head of the ad watchdog.
The Advertising Standards Board chairman Robert Koltai said that there had been a “handful” of complaints received about the humorous ad mainly in relation to the references to vegetarianism.
The BMF-created ad to encourage lamb consumption on Australia Day features a rant about the “tide of un Australianism creeping into society” by Sam Kekovich, the ex-x VFL football player who became well known as a regular on ABC-TV’s The Fat where he delivered his weekly politically incorrect tirade on a subject that had riled him.
He delivers his speech in the ad in the same monotone style giving a serve to a range of “un-Australian” activities that in particular includes vegetarianism along with “pussy Brazilian blokes” who wear their thongs “up their bums” and “long haired dole bludger types”.
Kekovich urges people to avoid being un-Australian by throwing lamb on the barbie on the national day ending the piece with his signature sign off “You know it makes sense”.
Koltai said he had personally viewed the ad today but said he would not be calling a special meeting of the ASB to deal with the complaint despite calls to do so.
“I have spoken to a number of members of the board and the general feeling is that it is so improbable that complaints about this ad would be upheld that we have decided we won’t be convening a meeting to deal with it,” Koltai said.
“The dominant view of the board is that the advertisement is clearly satirical, and a demonstration of the ability of the majority of the community to take a joke against themselves.
“And that is the dominant view of those members of the public who have taken it upon themselves to communicate praise for the commercial in such terms as that of a Sydney television viewer who wrote, ‘If we’re a democracy, please count my vote in favour of this ad and let’s see whether the majority of Australians want to have a chuckle for a week or so’.”
