The complete guide to buying fair dinkum Australian Made items

Australians would pay more for locally produced items and this is how shoppers can ensure what they buy is fair dinkum.

Australians would pay more for Aussie products but how do consumers ensure what they buy is true blue?

It’s a fair dinkum concern given cash is hard earned and the cost of living right now is as mad as a cut snake.

New analysis from Westpac Economics shows if every Australian household redirected $100 a week of existing spending towards buying Australian-owned goods and services, 40,000 new Australian jobs would be created and the economy would grow by $16 billion over 12 months. Bonza mate.

Here’s how to make sure you buy the real deal. And good onya.

Australia’s future is in our hands. Pictured here is siblings Paddy, 10, Alby, 9, and Wally( 7) on their farm in Central West NSW. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

How do I know something is made in Australia?

The easiest and best way is to look for the green and gold Australian Made, Australian Grown [AMAG] logo with the green and gold kanagaroo. Only products registered with the Australian Made Campaign Ltd [AMCL] and meet consumer law requirements can use the logo.

Only products substantially manufactured in Australia, with at least 50 per cent of costs incurred in Australia, can use the Australian Made logo.

Meanwhile, only products in which the significant ingredients or components have been grown in Australia can be labelled Grown in Australia. All processing must occur locally.

To be labelled a Product of Australia, all ingredients and components must be Australian while all manufacturing and processing must take place in Australia.

About 4,500 businesses use the AMAG logo.

The Australian Made logo can be found on product packaging, marketing materials, online product listings and store signage.

Australian Made chief executive Ben Lazarro said to legally describe your product as Australian made, you must satisfy what’s called the substantial transformation test.

“And the best way to describe that is by example. So you can import a piece of timber and turn that timber into a table here in Australia,” he said.

“And you can legally describe that as Australian made. So that’s one example. We’d love you to get the timber from Australia, of course.

“But the components and ingredients can come from different parts of the world. But as long as you satisfy that substantial transformation test which our team here will help you with, you can legally describe your product is Australian made.”

About 4,5000 businesses use the AMAG logo. Picture: Glenn Campbell

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Where can I find the logo?

“The Australian Made logo is registered across all 34 classes of goods,” Mr Lazarro said.

“We make things from health and beauty products, baby products all the way through to industrial products, whether it be steel based products for the B2B sector, building products, boats, trains, you name it.

“We really make everything here in Australia and I think, if we take the time to investigate and look for that product in a certain sector, you’ll find something that’s Aussie made.”

What if a product says made in Australia but doesn’t have the AMAG logo?

The logo is the best way to ensure products are Australian made. But shoppers can also check product and country of origin labelling. Most Australian businesses will advertise themselves as made in Australia.

More diligent consumers can also research individual businesses and find out whether they are Australian.

Mr Lazarro added: “I think consumers need to be vigilant when they’re shopping around claims of Australianness. So you can be Australian made. You can be Australian owned. You could be designed in Australia, the IP could be from Australia.

“So we’ve got to be mindful that if we want a product that’s made here, we look for the Australian Made logo.

The Australian Made Campaign website has a database of brands, companies and stores that are genuinely Australian owned and run.

“Those other aspects of Australianness can be valuable and important to other consumers, but it’s not what the green and gold kangaroo conveys.

“So I think that’s something important for consumers to keep in mind when they’re shopping.

That the Australian Made logo means that the product is made here.”

What about food and beverage products?

No, Australian food and beverage products sold within Australia do not need to be licensed with the AMCL or bear the logo.

But all food labels are required to disclose where food is grown, produced, made or packed. So consumers can still check whether their groceries were grown, produced, made or packed in Australia.

They just won’t necessarily see the golden kangaroo.

Only products substantially manufactured in Australia can use the Australian Made logo. Picture: NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Where can I find the label on products?

The Australian Made logo can be found on product packaging, marketing materials, online product listings and store signage.

Country of origin labelling is often found on the back of packaging or on sticker labels.

Where can I find a list of products that are authentically Australia?

The Australian Made Campaign website has a database of brands, companies and stores that are genuinely Australian owned and run, where consumers can buy local products from retail, home and outdoor supplies, supermarkets and souvenirs.

This article is part of the Back Australia series, which was supported by Australian Made Campaign, Harvey Norman, Westpac, Bunnings, Coles, TechnologyOne, REA Group, Cadbury, R.M.Williams, Qantas, Vodafone and BHP.

Originally published as The complete guide to buying fair dinkum Australian Made items