Watch the 2023 summer lamb ad: 'That's un-Australian!' Sam Kekovich is back in MLA lamb campaign

The familiar catch-cry from lamb campaigns of the past has returned in Meat and Livestock Australia's (MLA) 2023 advertisement.

The campaign suggests the act of calling someone 'un-Australian' has the power to transport the wrongdoer to a barren wasteland.

"All I said was 'bon appetite!'" says Sam Kekovich, the face of many of MLA's lamb campaigns.

The ad suggests that if enough people are rejected from society, a new society can be formed - complete with a lamb barbeque.

"It looks like we're all a bit un-Australian, guess that's what makes us Australian," an actress says as the ad ends.

These campaigns traditionally take aim at Australian culture and politics, delivering some skewering takes on topics from COVID-19 lockdowns to the short stints of Australian prime ministers.

Sam Kekovich has cemented his spot as 'Lambassador' in the early 2000s, saying "there's one way to keep the ashes permanently in Australia, make our own".

"The ashes from a good lamb barbie are a lot better than some burnt Pommy stump anyway."

MLA is no stranger to controversy, often discussing delicate topics related to Australian patriotism and multiculturalism in lamb advocacy ads.

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One of the MLA's most controversial campaigns was banned in 2017, featuring major religious figures sharing a meal around an outdoor dining table, discussing the importance of lamb as a unifying meat eaten around the globe.

The High Commission of India issued a statement at the time, saying "Lord Ganesha along with other religious figures is found to be 'toasting lamb', which the Indian community consider to be offensive and hurting their religious sentiments".

The international push for lamb sales saw Mr Kekovich expand his address from a domestic to global audience.

The 2010 campaign had Mr Kekovich campaigning to a mock-United Nations saying "Islamabad? Of course it bloody isn't".

The 2016 campaign also received flack after Mr Kekovich told vegans to "get a life", a sentiment that was quickly back-peddled in their 2017 campaign.