Where "Veggies" Comes From
A straightforward "-ie" clipping of "vegetables," matching the wider Australian pattern seen in brekkie and bikkie — though this particular clipped form is common well beyond Australia, in American and British English too, unlike some of the more distinctly local versions.
It's the default, unremarkable word for vegetables in everyday Australian speech — "veggies" rather than "vegetables" in almost any casual sentence.
Source:
"Eat your veggies before you get dessert."
How Aussies Actually Use It
It's used exactly as "vegetables" would be, just more casually - at the dinner table, in recipes, at the greengrocer.
"Meat and three veg" remains a classic description of a traditional Australian dinner.
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