Amid growing calls to move Australia Day from January 26, Meat and Livestock Australia's new advertisement confronts the controversy around hosting the national day on a date marking the start of colonialism and Indigenous dispossession.
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Deakin University Warrnambool marketing lecturer Michael Callaghan said the ad marked a cultural turning point in Australia’s history.
“I think the MLA have done a serious amount of research to come up with that ad,” he said.
“They have cleverly picked a change in attitudes in Australia. They have so brilliantly seen that shift and planted their flag. To be honest, it’s not for any social good reasons – it’s in order to make money.
“They’ve worked out they are way better off targeting minority groups. Lamb is central to their nationalities as well.”
The ad starts with three Indigenous Australians on a beach who remark on being the "first here" but that the beautiful location would be "packed before you know it".
A procession of boats then arrive, notably starting with the Dutch, followed by the British, French, Germans, Chinese, Italians, Greeks, Serbians, New Zealanders and finally "boat people".
"Hang on, aren't we all boat people?" celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow, of MasterChef fame, asks.
Olympic legend Cathy Freeman asks the hosts what the occasion is. "Do we need one?" is the answer.
While some might consider the advertisement as taking a sanitised view of the impact of white settlement on indigenous people, Gunditj Mirring project officer Denis Rose, of Heywood, said he was not offended. He said he did not celebrate Australia Day because it didn't acknowledge Aboriginal occupation of Australia prior to white settlement.
He said he liked that the advertisement brought to the forefront the fact Aborigines had lived in Australia long before the First Fleet arrived.
"From a historical point of view, this makes people think stronger and harder (about Aborigines occupying Australia)," Mr Rose said.
"Anything that makes non-Indigenous people have a better understanding of Indigenous Australia is not a bad thing."
Warrnambool Aboriginal elder Rob Lowe senior said he was not offended by the advertisement.
"I had a good laugh at it," Mr Lowe said. "Everyone talks about reconciliation. They should look at that ad. It brings every culture together.”
He said while the atrocities committed on Indigenous Australians by white settlers were always in the back of the minds of Aboriginal people, they needed to look forward.
MLA marketing manager Andrew Howie said the campaign celebrated diversity.
“As the face of Australia continues to evolve and change, we need to make lamb relevant to a diverse, modern Australia,” he said.
