Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the positives to come out of the challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has certainly been the groundswell of public support for local manufacturers and for buying Australian-made products. A Roy Morgan survey has found that 52 per cent of Australians have shown a higher preference for Australian-made products since the pandemic. Further, 43 per cent are more likely to look at the country-of-origin labels on the product. They're amazing statistics. It's timely that the Morrison-McCormack government invested a further $5 million into the international reach of the Australian Made logo.

The Australian Made logo is used by more than 2,800 businesses and is universally recognised by Australian consumers. It is a central element to the government's mandatory food-labelling laws. We want to increase the impact of the trusted symbol overseas so Australian exporters can grow and employ more Australians. The investment of that $5 million will allow the trademark to be registered and promoted in key export markets like the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, amongst others. There will also be an effort to crack down on the misuse of the logo, through a strengthening of its legal position in key export markets. Our government's $5 million investment will be provided over four years to the Australian Made Campaign Limited, which administers the logo. It delivers on an election commitment by the coalition government—as we have delivered on many.

Since being in this place, which is only a short time, I've been intensely interested in local manufacturing in my electorate of Cowper. There are some unbelievable, excellent, forward-thinking manufacturers in Cowper. One of them, which I visited a couple of months ago, is Express Coach Builders, who manufacture buses in Macksville. Another is Thompson Brushes, who manufacture different industrial brushes for street sweepers, road machinery, factories and construction sites. They're actually approved by the ADF to provide gun-cleaning brushes and grenade-launcher-cleaning brushes. And there is a family that I grew up with, the Keir family in Kempsey, who make the famous Akubra hats, right in the middle of my electorate.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the local manufacturers who export as well. Along with Thompson Brushes, there is Erskine Oral Care, based in Macksville, who manufacture and export Piksters, dental hygiene products. And there are a range of service providers exporting overseas, including the Coffs Harbour based fintech company XBert, who are selling a software app and service to accountants and businesses both here and overseas. I was with them a couple of weeks ago because they were the recipient of a $350,000 grant from our government's Accelerating Commercialisation program, to help them kick off their software app and to put two new employees on. They tell me that hopefully in the next 12 months they'll put on another six employees.

An honourable member: That's excellent.

It is excellent. When you visit these manufacturers and speak to the staff or browse their website, one thing which they all have in common is commitment to quality. Our local manufacturers pride themselves on producing high-quality, top-of-the-range products—products which stand the test of time and are backed with lengthy warranties. Take Express Coach Builders, for example. Each of its 75 staff hand-build each bus, coach or specialty vehicle that they make. On average, it takes about 14 weeks to produce a bus. It is our manufacturers' commitment to quality which I believe sets Australia apart. In conclusion, as we continue to deliver our economic recovery plan, and our economy and society reopen, it is more important than ever that we back our local manufacturers and support our Australian jobs.

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