Australian Made Week 2023 kicks off as research shows a third of Aussies willing to pay 10% more for local products

“All it takes is looking for the green-and-gold kangaroo — and with the third annual Australian Made Week kicking off yesterday, there’s never been a better time to champion Australia’s local makers and growers and encourage all Aussies to get behind them,” says Australian Made CEO Ben Lazzaro.

Australian Made Week runs from Monday, May 15 to Sunday, May 21. 

Australian market research company Roy Morgan has found that nearly a third of Aussie consumers say they would be willing to pay up to 10% more for locally-made products.

In fact, if every household spent an additional $10 a week on Australian-made products, an extra $4.8 billion would be injected into the economy each year, creating up to 9,500 new jobs, according to the research.

Australian businesses are recognising that consumers are wanting to spend more money on locally made items bearing trustworthy country-of-origin certification, with the number of companies using the Australian Made logo on their products going from strength to strength over the past three years, according to Lazzaro.

Lazzaro told SmatCompany that Australian Made Week is a chance for Australians to get behind and celebrate local makers and growers.

“This is an incredible opportunity to not only buy local, but also to reflect on the direct economic impact purchasing goods with the Australian Made logo can have on thousands of workers throughout the supply chain,” he says. 

“Every change consumers make in their weekly shopping – even the smallest ones – can create a huge difference for local businesses.”

Lazzaro says it is encouraging to see the uplift in licensees and support of the program.

“The brand has become iconic over the past three years and businesses recognise that consumers rely on it to do their ‘heavy lifting’ in terms of knowing that if a product carries the logo, they can buy with confidence – seeing it as a symbol for authenticity, quality, sustainability and ethical labour,” he said.

“Australian Made Week is an ideal time to draw attention to the exceptional manufacturing quality standards of Australian Made-certified products and the flow-on benefits of buying local.”

As well as the findings revealing that 99% of Australians recognise the green-and-gold kangaroo, the recent Roy Morgan research also found 94% of people surveyed believe Australian consumers and businesses trust the green-and-gold kangaroo certification logo, and 96% of respondents felt the logo reassures customers that the product is genuinely Australian.

Lazzaro added that some of Australian Made’s businesses that have been really successful over the past year include Packserv Australia, a manufacturer of high-quality packaging machines for small and medium-sized enterprises; Melbourne-based family-owned business Rolaway; Bon Savvy, which makes fabric care and fragrances; boutique leather brand Harrison Australia; AI-powered early wildfire detection system Exci; Melbourne tech company Bodd; and Mini Jumbuk, which makes premium woollen bedding products.

Australian Made Week ambassador and tennis legend Ash Barty is calling on all Aussies to get involved during the week by buying genuine Aussie products bearing the green-and-gold kangaroo.

Australian Made Week ambassador and tennis legend Ash Barty. Source: Supplied

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying a new sporting kit or a bag of apples, spending your money on Australian Made or Grown is a great way to support your local community,” Barty said in a statement. 

“Australian products have a great reputation around the world for having some of the highest standards in craftsmanship, safety and quality. That’s a great reason to get behind them, but it’s also in all our best interests to buy local whenever we can and encourage all our family and friends to do the same.”