History of Australian Made

The Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2016, but the origins of the campaign can be traced back over 100 years.

1930s - 1960s

The merits of buying Australian made have been advocated in Federal Parliament since Federation, and chambers of manufactures have been championing the cause in publications and press advertisements since the 1930s.

In 1961, a national campaign called Operation Boomerang was launched by the Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia to strengthen the profile of local manufacturing and encourage people to buy locally made goods. Its logo, a red boomerang on a blue background with the Southern Cross can still be seen today.

1980s - 1990s

In 1986, the Australian Government commissioned the introduction of the Australian Made logo. It was designed by Melbourne graphic designer Ken Cato and officially launched by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke. It was to be administered by the Advance Australia Foundation for the next 10 years.

The logo reverted back to the Australian Government when the Foundation went into voluntary liquidation in 1996.In the late 1990s, the Australian Chamber of Commerce network established the not-for-profit company Australian Made Campaign Limited (AMCL), along with a new code of practice for the logo, and in 1999 it was officially relaunched by then Prime Minister John Howard.

2000s

In 2002, ownership of the Australian Made logo was transferred to AMCL. A Deed of Assignment and Management Deed ensure the Government’s ongoing connection to the logo remains strong.

The logo was renamed the ‘Australian Made, Australian Grown’ logo in 2007 when the Federal Government decided to use it as the centrepiece of its new food labelling initiative, ‘Australian Grown’. Ken Cato was commissioned to give the logo a more contemporary look and feel, and the rules governing the logo’s use were extended to include fresh and packaged produce.

2010s

In 2011, the Code of Practice was revised to allow use of the ‘Australian Seafood’ descriptor with the logo.

In mid-2012, Roy Morgan Research found that almost all Australian consumers (98.8%) recognise the logo, and it is the logo that gives the vast majority (88.6%) of Australian consumers strong confidence that a product is Australian.

In 2016, the Australian Government incorporated the AMAG kangaroo logo into a new country of origin label, which then became mandatory for most Australian food products sold in Australia in 2018. Read more about Food Labelling.

2020s

The COVID-19 pandemic increased focus on Australian manufacturing. With many “buy local” initiatives taking place throughout Australia, AMCL encouraged shoppers and businesses to buy Australian.  A 2020 Roy Morgan study found that nine in ten (89%) Australians believed Australia should be producing more products locally following the pandemic.

Over the pandemic, AMCL saw a substantial uptick in Australian businesses licensing their products to carry the Australian Made logo. Australians saw a surge in public support for local jobs and economic activity whilst strengthening local manufacturing capabilities.

In 2021, AMCL launched the first Australian Made Week – an annual multi-channel media campaign that encourages Australian shoppers to buy local products and look out for the iconic green and gold kangaroo logo when they shop, and also promote licensed Australian Made products and businesses. Since 2021, the media campaign has run each year with the following ambassadors: