Australian Made calls on consumers to buy local

The Australian Made Campaign is calling on consumers to buy local or face losing more jobs, following the announcements by Ford and Holden that they will cease manufacturing motor cars in Australia within the next three to four years.

“The real disappointment is that consumers in Australia seem not to understand that there will be consequences when they elect to buy imported products, as they have done with motor cars,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison said.

Mr Harrison said that the announcement by Holden last night that it would close its Australian manufacturing facilities in 2017 was just another in a long line of decisions by companies in Australia to import rather than manufacture locally, pointing to Heinz, Pacific Brands and Electrolux (refrigerators) as recent examples from other sectors.

 “Continuing on this trajectory will have dire consequences for Australian industry, Australian jobs and Australian communities,” Mr Harrison said.

“Our message to consumers is to invest in great Australian products and produce, to help build a sustainable future, or risk losing more industries and more jobs, putting pressure on the entire economy and families all over the country.”

“We hope that this confronting truth will make consumers stop and think about the knock-on effects of their purchasing decisions before buying,” Mr Harrison said.

The Australian Made Campaign is the not-for-profit organisation that administers the green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo. The logo is Australia’s registered certification trade mark for genuine Australian products and produce.

The organisation is working to secure government funding for an education program to help increase understanding amongst consumers about the meaning of the various country of origin claims on labelling and the value proposition of buying Australian made and Australian grown products.