Austen Tayshus reboots comedy hit Australiana 30 years after release Australian comedian Austen Tayshus is re-releasing his hit Australiana for Australia Day. The infamous comedy anthem Australiana could race up the charts again next week when it hits iTunes for the first time more than 30 years after its release. The Austen Tayshus recording, written by Billy "The 12th Man," Birmingham made history when it commanded No. 1 on the singles charts for eight weeks after its release in June 1983. It was one of the highest-selling singles of the era with more than 200,000 copies bought back then and the first spoken word record to ever claim No.1. The tale of an Australian suburban barbecue used a series of outrageous puns namechecking Australian fauna, locations and products. Many made their mark on the Australian vernacular including "how much can a koala bear?" The digital release on January 24 leading up to Australia Day will introduce the spoken word classic to a new generation unfamiliar with wordplay such as "Why doesn't Wom bat and let Tenter field?" It has been unavailable since physical CD singles were phased out in Australian in 2004. The song launched the stand-up career of Austen Tayshus and the recordings of The 12th Man, who was back in the charts in recent weeks courtesy of his Willy Nilly collection.