TOURISM:

The peak body for some of Australia’s lesser known and ugliest native animals is demanding answers from the Albanese Government about its latest multi-million-dollar US-focussed tourism campaign.

Representatives of the Ugly Fauna Organisation (UFO) held a joint news conference this morning (main picture) to question the choice of Ruby the Roo to front the campaign aimed at attracting American tourist to come Down Under. (below)

The animals – a brown snake, native swamp rat, goanna, and native water rat – claim “pretty” animals had again been given preference in the campaign.

“Look, we admit that kangaroos, especially little joeys, are cute and cuddly – and very tasty, by the way – but they’re not the only animal in Australia,” the goanna said.

“Where’s the diversity in the new tourism campaign? It’s not even a real roo but a computer generated one which means a real animal, like me, is not even getting paid to appear.”

The brown snake agreed, saying it had personal experience of the double standards applied to butt-ugly native animals.

“Every time the woke wankers in whatever ad agency the government decides to throw buckets of money at to make a tourism advert, I apply to be the ‘face’ of the campaign,” the snake said.

“But do I get a fair go? Not at all. I don’t even get a screen test. The whole system is rigged and biased against ugly animals like me.”

Both the native swamp rat and native water rat said the federal government needed to ensure ugly fauna shared in tourism promotion work.

“Every Australian tourism ad features a kangaroo or a fucking koala. When are ugly species like us ever going to get a fair go?” the native swamp rat said.

The native water rat said the last time it had auditioned for a part in a tourism advertisement it had been forced to resort to deceptive tactics.

“In my online application to the ad agency I said I was a koala, so I immediately received a call-back teeing up an interview with me,” it said.

“I wore a koala onesie to the agency but when I took it off for the screen test all hell broke loose. The fuckers tried to kill me.

“They screamed and whacked me with brooms and chased me out of their office. Bastards.”