Consumers urged to buy local to save jobs

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 Holden’s decision to 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.

He cited Heinz (food), Pacific Brands (clothing) and Electrolux (refrigerators) as recent examples from other sectors which are now manufacturing products off-shore.

“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 trademark for genuine Australian products and produce.