In what might be the most Australian act of 2016, some cheeky bugger has gone and sent a jar of Vegemite to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
This Christmas gift just arrived in the mail. #auspol #halal #Vegemite #merrychristmas #funnybecauseitistrue
The leader of the far-right party is famously anti-halal.
“Not interested in halal thank you,” Hanson told Channel Seven in July. “I don’t believe in halal certification. And 98 per cent of Australians don’t want halal certification.”
The delicious black spread is already halal (permissible according to Islamic law), hence Hanson's Blue Steel pose, and use of the hashtag #funnybecauseitistrue.
The Vegemite website's FAQ explains:
VEGEMITE is certified Halal by The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. VEGEMITE is made on a dedicated production line and does not contain or come into contact with any animal derived ingredients and the yeast in the product has been processed to ensure the product is alcohol free.
Turns out Iranian-born Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who invited Pauline Hanson to share a halal snack pack with him on election night, also received a jar.
The note, written on an "Anniversary" card, is signed by "David". He says he's non-partisan and decided to send Dastyari and Hanson the same sort of jar as a Christmas present.
He says the word "halal" is misspelt as "halaal" because the people who print the $10 personalised jars made him change it.
Dastyari is keen to find the stranger who sent him the Vegemite and put out this plea on his Facebook page:
Facebook - I need your help to track down the complete champion who sent me this so I can invite them around for Halal toast.
PLEASE SHARE.
Why?
1. They got a jar of Vegemite with Halal on it.
2. They spelt Halal wrong.
3. They sent a anniversary card at Christmas.No more reason needed. Help me find them
Do you know who sent the cryptic note?
Hanson rejected Dastyari's invitation for a halal snack pack in July... but he hopes she'll accept his offer to come up to Queensland so they can be halal little Vegemites together.
Hey @PaulineHansonOz I note we both got one of these? Should I come up to Brisbane before New Years for toast? A se… https://t.co/MratTeCosU