Australia govt petitioned to lift kava import ban

Apetition to the Australian government to temporarily lift the kava import ban, has been launched.

Travellers to Australia were allowed to bring in up to four kilogrammes of kava as part of their luggage, but this was stopped with coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

Australia is reviewing regulations that block the commercial importation of kava into the country. A Tongan-Maori student at the University of Canberra, Faonetapu Takiari, said there were no legal restrictions on kava in the Australian

Capital Territory (ACT) as it was classified under food and beverage.

“However, importing it is a different story.

“We can’t legally import it at all. “Because it was classed as a hazardous substance before the change here in ACT, it’s still under the therapeutic goods administration as a hazardous substance.

“So that’s why the custom laws mean that effectively you can’t bring in more than four kilogrammes at the moment,” Mr Takiari said.

He said kava should be classed as a food and beverage by all government agencies.

Social cohesion

Kava plays an important role in social cohesion, and Pacific communities rely on this during times of stress such as the current pandemic.

Mr Takiari said Australians were becoming more aware of kava and its merits as an alternative to alcohol, as the Pacific community shared the experience of consuming and learning about kava with others.

“I know here in Canberra a lot of other community leaders and church leaders who know the situation about kava, as well as some of our Pacific people do, they’re flabbergasted about the situation and they’re not sure why it’s held up the way it has been, and why is it not like in New Zealand,” he said.

Since 2007, only kava for medicinal purposes has been allowed.

However, restrictions are having a significant impact on Australia’s Pacific community who say the case for allowing kava importation by mail is strong.