The prime minister said he did not want a “Vegemite watch”.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion had earlier described Vegemite as a “precursor to misery”, according to local media.
However, Tony Abbott said for most people Vegemite, made from brewers’ yeast extract, was “reasonably nutritious”.
“This is a deregulatory government and the last thing I want to do is to have a Vegemite watch,” he told local media on August 9.
A Queensland newspaper had reported that Vegemite was being made into alcohol in large quantities in some remote Indigenous communities.
Nigel Scullion was quoted saying the spread was being bought in bulk to make moonshine.
“Businesses in these communities… have a responsibility to report any purchase that may raise their own suspicions,” he said.
The minister added that in some cases, children were failing to turn up to school because they were too hung-over, and that Vegemite was an increasingly common factor in domestic violence cases.
Dr. John Boffa of the People’s Alcohol Action Coalition, who is based in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, said the problem was not widespread.
President Joe Biden has urged pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses to uphold the rule of…
Blue Ivy Carter has joined the voice cast of The Lion King prequel Mufasa: The…
At least five people, including a four-month-old baby, have been killed after dozens of tornadoes…
Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalized just days after his 2020 rape conviction in New York…
Hamas has published a video showing the first proof of life of US and Israeli…
Prosecutors and Donald Trump’s attorneys delivered opening statements and the first witness was called on…