2016 Australia Day lamb advertising campaign becomes most complained about advertisement in Australian history

This year's Australia Day lamb campaign has now overtaken an Ashley Madison commercial advocating spouses cheat on their partners to become the most complained about advertisement in Australian history.

The Advertising Standards Bureau has confirmed to ninemsn that overnight, the number of complaints jumped from more than 300 to more than 500.

In comparison, Ashley Madison's 2014 "I'm looking for someone other than my wife" campaign garnered 418 complaints.

The campaign was launched on Sunday and features SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin setting out to bring all Australians home for January 26 so that they can enjoy a lamb barbecue.

The ad shows a team of special agents breaking into a New York apartment to rescue an Australia and then using a blow torch on a table when he protests that he is vegan.

The two issues which are drawing complaints: the use of the phrase 'Operation Boomerang' to promote a day that some First Australians refer to as 'Invasion Day', and promoting violence against vegans.

The complaints are a combined figure for those who have formally taken gripe with the online, television or radio versions of the advertisement.