Brisbane's Tongan Community have more than ten kava clubs who meet regularly.
President of the Brisbane Tongan Community steering committee, Rev. Maile Molitika says that kava clubs are important in holding the community spirit together. They support the Australian Prime Minister's Pilot Program to ease restrictions on kave importation.
The Australian Government conducted a consultation process through a Pilot Program to ease restrictions on the importation of kava for personal use into Australia.
The Pilot Program is a result of comments made by the Australia Prime Minister, Hon. Scott Morrison, during a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Hon. Charlot Salawi Tabimasmas in Port Vila, Vanuatu on 16 January 2019.
“We have agreed that we would be working to put a pilot program together to ease some of the limitations on importation of kava into Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“But that is an expression of our interest in developing trade in the region. Kava is an important product which is produced [in Vanuatu] and has a great and successful market around the world,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s support for further consultation on an increase of importation of kava into Australia is further echoed by the Tongan diaspora in Australia, including Brisbane’s vibrant Tongan Community.
The three areas that the pilot program is focused on include the proposal to increase the quantity of kava that may be imported for personal use to 4kg; approach to evaluate the pilot program after two years; and the duration of the pilot program.