Australian politician hospitalised after drinking ceremony

Michael McCormack, who served as deputy prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2021, was taken ill after downing a bowl of sakau during a diplomatic tour of Micronesia.

McCormack, who now serves as shadow minister for international development and the Pacific, was offered a bowl of sakau while touring Micronesia (the western Pacific nation consisting of more than 600 islands) and, in a diplomatic decision, drank it in one, as is the tradition for Fijian kava. Previously on the tour he had been to Vanuatu where, in McCormack’s words, he “knocked down quite easily five shells of kava”.

However, while kava and sakau share similarities (both are made from the root of the kava kava plant), the latter has far less water added, making its sedative effect significantly stronger (though it is non-alcoholic). It was not long before McCormack realised his mistake and spent a stint in a local hospital where he was treated for severe dehydration.

“I was trying to be respectful – I really took one for team Australia,” McCormack told The Guardian. “It had a peppery essence and I was OK for 10 to 15 minutes and then I thought, ‘ooooh, okay’…I looked over at [foreign minister] Penny Wong and mouthed, ‘I’m not okay’. I went cross-eyed. I really did. Then someone got me a bucket and, well, yeah.”

In a tweet, McCormack warned: “Note to self: sip sakau, scull kava! Thank you to those who have reached out. I’m feeling much better, and think it’s a timely reminder that Australia should support kava trade.”

Australian politicians are much more likely to down (or “skol”) a pint of beer, as the newly-elected prime minister Anthony Albanese did in August.