Kangaroo was off the menu and vegetarians were urged to get stuck into a chop or steak for the night at the first 'Burkie's backyard' red meat night at Parliament in Canberra last night.
Hosted jointly by Meat and Livestock Australia and Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, the barbeque was a chance to showcase the very best lamb, beef and goat meat and show off the success of the multi-billion dollar industry.
Pollies and press gallery journalists were treated to a feast full of iron, omega-3s and zinc, with the sweet smell of red-meat wafting through Parliament drawing a large crowd to the event.
Mr Burke said the barbie was a good excuse to celebrate the $15 billion red meat industry.
He said he hopes Burkie's backyard would become an annual event.
Opposition spokesman for agriculture, John Cobb, said he can't remember a time when red meat sales had been so strong, thanks to the emerging middle-class wanting to be well fed.
Mr Cobb joked that MLA may be looking at ways to bring kangaroo industry under its umbrella following suggestions last month by climate change advisor, Ross Garnaut, that farmers would need to harvest native animals instead of farming traditional livestock to reduce their carbon footprint.
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