Deputy PM throws support behind ‘Australian Makers’

On Tuesday 29th October, the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Michael McCormack MP, threw his support behind Australian manufacturing at an event to officially launch the ‘Australian Makers’ video series from the Australian Made Campaign (AMCL).

At the event, presented by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in collaboration with AMCL, the Hon Michael McCormack MP said, “We as a government want to support homegrown. Whether it's regional, suburban, metropolitan, it doesn’t matter. If they are manufacturing in Australia, they can take advantage of wonderful trade opportunities that we’ve been able to broker.”

Mr McCormack continued, “I am really looking forward to seeing more ‘Australian Makers’ and Australian Made logo success stories.”

The ‘Australian Makers’ short-form video series takes Australians behind the scenes and into the local factories, workshops and farms of some of the country’s most innovative manufacturers. It seeks to celebrate Australia’s diverse and evolving manufacturing sector and shine a light on the people, processes and stories behind some of our most loved Australian products.

Ben Lazzaro, Chief Executive of the Australian Made Campaign, said, “We are passionate about Australian manufacturing, so we are very excited to launch the Australian Makers series. We’re highlighting the ingenuity and skill of our Australian Makers, and providing a unique insight into what goes into making a product in Australia, as well as the benefits that it delivers to the wider community.

Supporting Australian Made manufacturers encourages and assists Aussie businesses to innovate and build on their success, as well as providing pathways to new markets. The result is a healthy manufacturing sector, job creation and a strong economy.

These Australian Makers are experts at leveraging their Australian credentials to succeed domestically and overseas and should be celebrated.  Australia’s manufacturing sector is stronger than you might think. Nearly three thousand companies use the Australian Made logo, on thousands of products sold here and around the world. It’s going from strength to strength.”

At the event, the Hon Michael McCormack MP was joined by three local manufacturing businesses and licensees of AMCL who are leveraging their Australian Made credentials to succeed domestically and overseas.

Celeste Faltyn, owner & founder of Apiary Made, a Victorian-based small business hand-crafting a range of natural and ethical goods derived from the beehive, said keeping production local allowed them to produce quality products.

“The benefit of us making all our products in Australia means that from harvesting the honey from my backyard, and bringing it to the factory, making everything here with our own hands, right through to the product that we ship to customers, every stage of that is handled by us.

The fact that we are produced in Australia really means a lot to our customers because they know that it has been made by local people, it also means that they are contributing to the economy. It also really appeals to people outside of Australia as well, because they trust products that are made in Australia and the way we go about things."

Matthew Courtnay, Owner & Director of Geelong based leather tannery AusTANNERS Australia, said his company had over 80 years history in leather production and wanted to ensure skills were kept locally.

“I think it's important Australians buy Australian Made products for many reasons. The big thing for me is if you buy an Australian Made product, that still remains in Australia. These are skills on which this country was built,” Mr Courtnay said.

Mr McCormack concluded by saying, “There is money to be made in trades, whether it’s tanning, whether it’s mechanics, no matter what it is and we need to celebrate it and promote that. As a government, we are trying to do our bit by making more apprenticeships available, particularly in rural and regional areas.”

The first videos in the ‘Australian Makers’ series are available to watch online at www.australianmade.com.au/ausmakers.