Olympic swimming superstar Ariarne Titmus traded the pool for the driver’s seat behind the wheel of a locally made Volvo truck – ‘Arnie’, to launch Australian Made Week, celebrating Aussie toughness and backing local makers and manufacturers.
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Volvo Group Australia hosted the launch and are urging Australians to prioritise locally made products.
Australian Made Campaign chief executive Ben Lazzaro says Australian Made Week and the government’s recent commitment of $20 million to encourage Australians to buy more Aussie products, was a reminder of the impact of buying local.
“Australian Made Week highlights how choosing locally made products directly benefits our economy,” he says.
“It’s a powerful way for everyday Australians to support local workers, businesses, and industries that keep our communities thriving.”
According to new research by Roy Morgan, 73 per cent of Aussies say they’re willing to buy more Australian-made products to reduce reliance on imports, 72 per cent are also willing to pay more for locally made goods and 84 per cent of Australians would be more likely to buy a product if they knew it was Australian made.
“If every household spent just $10 more a week on Australian Made products, we’d inject an extra $5.6 billion into our economy and generate around 10,000 new jobs,” Lazzaro says.
The trusted Australian Made, Australian Grown green-and-gold logo featuring the outline of a kangaroo has identified products as authentically Australian, including the heavy-duty trucks manufactured by Volvo at its Wacol plant in Queensland.
President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia Martin Merrick says the business is committed to local manufacturing.
“We are proud of our 50-year heritage championing Australian innovation, engineering excellence and job creation by producing vehicles built tough for Australian conditions by Australians,” he says.
Businesses bearing the unique certification represent approximately 40,000 jobs and generate a combined annual revenue of around $8 billion, with each purchase helping to support the cities, towns and regions where the goods are produced.
“Whether it’s skincare or safety equipment, curtains or campervans – we can all play our part in giving Australian businesses a true home-ground advantage,” Titmus says.
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