Australian Lamb releases annual summer ad, rubbishing claim we are no longer a happy country

With many Aussies making new year’s resolutions, Australian Lamb has made its 2026 mission to put Australia back in the Top 10 Happiest Countries List in its hotly anticipated annual ad.

The ad takes a cheeky swipe at the rankings after Australia dropped out of the Top 10 for the first time ever in 2025, with “Lambassador” Sam Kekovich making it the goal of his team to put the country back on the map.

“How can any country be happier than Australia? Australia is the best country on earth! And when there’s a competition we’re in it, to win it!” Kekovich says in the ad.

The ad showcases all the unmistakably True Blue things that make us happy and takes a sneaky dig at our Kiwi and Pommy rivals.

A team of steely European “happiness auditors” seem less convinced in the ad, asking how Australians are so happy when we are gird by unswimmable beaches, have cute but venomous creatures like the platypus and have an opera house when we don’t even enjoy opera.

The Aussie team’s cheeky response?

Where else in the world can you duck into the shops in your swimmers, get a snag at the hardware store, have free healthcare for your animal bites and most importantly, gather around our national free network of barbecues?

The ad begs the question that “if this isn’t top ten happiness stuff, then what is?”

Our weird and wonderful ways are put on full display for the team of auditors, who become gradually more convinced that Australia does indeed deserve its spot back in the top 10.

If the giant monuments to fruit and calling everyone mate hadn’t yet convinced them, the winning number proves to be sharing a succulent Aussie lamb chop in our great outdoors.

The ad, commissioned by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), has become an annual event on the Aussie calendar, guaranteeing to evoke a spirit of pride in our sunburnt country and land of sweeping plains.

“Happiness here isn’t about rankings, it’s about togetherness, shared experiences, and the simple joys that make life distinctly Aussie,” Nathan Low from Meat and Livestock Australia said.

Australia Lamb also did its own research to make sure its dig at the rankings was accurate.

It found that Aussies who get a bit of lamb on their fork are 0.6 points happier than those who don’t.

Other things that make us extra happy according to the research include cracking a beer and an early morning run and coffee ritual – call that balanced.

“Nothing brings people together like an epic lamb BBQ, and this campaign celebrates the humour, camaraderie, and unmistakeable Aussie spirit that keep us smiling every day,” Mr Low said.

So if there is one thing that Aussies should add to their new year’s goals, it’s to gather around the barbie in our great outdoors and “just eat some lamb” as Lambassador Sam Kekovich puts it.