New research out today shows that less than half of us buy locally manufactured furniture, health and beauty items, clothes, hardware and household appliances, The Herald Sun reports.
The online survey of 1200 people commissioned by the Australia Made Campaign showed that while Australians were keen to eat home-grown food, lower prices and better value were the main reasons people were attracted to imports.
Australian Made Campaign chief Ian Harrison said the findings were "extremely worrying" and warned of more job losses without an attitude change.
"There is a growing sense of complacency. Consumers need to be more aware of the consequences of their purchase decisions."
Harrison said the high Australian dollar had a huge impact on competitiveness.
But he urged shoppers to look beyond price and buy on better quality, health, environmental and safety.
The study also found that four in 10 consumers found it difficult to indentify if a product was Australian made or grown and that only one in three knew Australian made meant the product has been substantially produced or manufactured in Australia.
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