I EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
AUSTRALIAN MADE PHASE II LAUNCH
GREENSBOROUGH -7 APRIL 1986
Last June, when I announced the Australian Made Campaign I
was confident it would be a success.
I was confident that Australians were waiting for a campaign
like this and were repared to do their bit for the country
by choosing Australian made products where they represented
value for money.
But I am pleased to say that my high hopes for the campaign
have been well and truly exceeded.
Because the message conveyed by the ' True Blue'
advertisements is really getting through to the Australian
buying public.
And the green and gold ' Australian made' logo is being
attached to more and more products, showing that they are
genuine, true blue, Australian made goods.
Since the campaign began, more than 800 manufacturers have
signed up for the right to display that green and gold logo.
In using the logo, thos~ e manufacturers are telling you, the
customers, that their product is the genuine Aussie article.
It's even more encouraging that a number of manufacturers
have boosted their local content so that they can qualify
for the logo.
And it's not just manufacturers, but shoppers themselves,
who have seen the benefits of supporting Australian made
products. They're not just saying " Yes, I know about the True Blue
advertisement but I'm not going to do anything about it".
The fact is more and more Australians are now buying
Australian made products and in doing this they are
playing a central role in helping Australia meet the
economic challenge it faces.
The collapse in many of our export prices means that the
world has cut Australia's income to the tune of $ 1500 per
-~ Australian family. Australian workers and families and
businesses have to practise restraint and work together if
we are to build a better Australia for ourselves and our
kids.
By choosing products bearing the official green and gold
logo, you are helping your country by reducing our
dependence on imports and by boosting Australian companies,
Australian jobs, Australian products.
If, in a single year, shoppers were to switch $ 200 of their
purchases per family member from imported to Australian Made
products, we would cut about $ 2.5 billion off Australia's
import bill. And that would be a very significant step
indeed on the way to building prosperity for the future.
The success of the Australian Made campaign so far has
spurred the Government on to a second phase, and that's what
I'm here to launch today at Greensborough Shopping Centre.
During this second phase we'll be aiming to boost the
quality of a broader range of Australian made products.
We'll also be encouraging more manufacturers to use the
green and gold logo. We'll be helping retailers mount
Australian Made promotions like the one displayed here at
Greensborough this week. And, of course, we will be running
True Blue advertisements on TV and in regional newspapers.
What we are seeking to do is to have more products on the
shelves of our shops and supermarkets bearing the green and
gold logo, so that more Australian made products will be
bought by shoppers, and so that the quantity of imported
goods we need will fall.
I want to congratulate the Advance Australia Foundation for
its great work in organising the campaign. I want to
congratulate Australian manufacturers and retailers for
getting Aussie products on the shelves.
But most of all I want to congratulate you, the Australian
shopper, for choosing Australian made products where they
represent value for money.
You are helping your fellow Australians by keeping them
secure in their jobs, you are helping your country trade its
way out of its difficulties, and you are helping your
hildren by building a stronger economy.
You have every right to be proud of yourselves, and I thank
you.