The first ever Australian Made Week is now under way, running from Monday 24 May to 30 May 2021.

Australian Made Week will encourage shoppers to actively focus their buying activities on genuine Australian products while celebrating and supporting local makers and growers around the country.

The campaign hopes to boost sales for local manufacturers and retailers, and help support businesses and communities which have been impacted by the pandemic.

Shoppers are being urged to say g’day to one extra locally-made or -grown product per week to help boost the country’s economy over the next 12 months.

According to recent Roy Morgan research, if every household spent an additional $10 a week on Australian Made products, it would inject an extra $5 billion into the economy each year and create up to 11,000 new jobs.

A huge majority of 93% of Australians said they are more likely to buy products made in Australia – up from 87% a year earlier. The big ‘loser’ during 2020 was Chinese-made goods with only 21% of Australians saying they’d be more likely to buy products made in China, a 9% points drop from 2019.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), Jan-Dec 2019, n=50,422 and Jan-Dec 2020, n=61,294. Respondents were asked to indicate whether they would be more likely or less likely to buy products made in each of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

“It’s an opportunity to focus on the benefits of buying local and highlight that when you buy Australian Made, you have a direct economic impact on the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Australians throughout the supply chain,” said Australian Made chief executive Ben Lazzaro.

“Even making a small change in your weekly shopping can create a huge difference for local businesses.”

And, according to research released from Commonwealth Bank, the shopping event is tapping into a growing preference in Australian shoppers, with more than 50 per cent of survey respondents preferring to buy locally sourced and produced products.

The bank’s inaugural Consumer Insights Report found the pandemic had shifted Australian’s shopping behaviours, with 58 per cent buying local fashion, 53 per cent buying local groceries, and 55 per cent buying Australian-made electronics.

You can get involved in Australian Made Week by:

  • Looking for and purchasing products with the green and gold Australian Made, Australian Grown logo.
  • Spreading the word about Australian Made Week. Share a picture of your Aussie Made purchases on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the hashtags #AustralianMade and #AustralianMadeWeek. Remember to tag the Australian Made Campaign @australianmadecampaign and the maker too.
  • Considering the flow-on effects of your purchasing decisions. When you buy Australian Made and Australian Grown products, you are helping to support local businesses and communities across Australia.
  • Encouraging your friends and family to get involved in Australian Made Week and spreading the word on the importance of buying Australian.