5 years ago
UNDER LIBERALS AUSSIE MANUFACTURERS CAN’T USE ‘AUSTRALIA MADE’
BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
Australian manufacturers of vitamins and mineral supplements are having to remove the iconic ‘Australia Made’ logo from their products due to Government incompetence and inaction.
It has been a year since Labor called on the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, to act and stop an industry worth $5 billion to the Australian economy forced off shore and putting close to 30,000 jobs at risk.
The Government’s changes to “Made in Australia” labelling and interpretations of the legislation has now seen local vitamins and mineral supplement manufacturers stripped of their ability to use the labels as of June 30 2019.
This is despite Minister Karen Andrews’ promise on April 5, 2019 to heed Labor’s concerns and make regulatory changes to protect these manufacturers.
As a matter of urgency, Minister Andrews must provide manufacturers with certainty and detail:
It has been a year since Labor called on the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, to act and stop an industry worth $5 billion to the Australian economy forced off shore and putting close to 30,000 jobs at risk.
The Government’s changes to “Made in Australia” labelling and interpretations of the legislation has now seen local vitamins and mineral supplement manufacturers stripped of their ability to use the labels as of June 30 2019.
This is despite Minister Karen Andrews’ promise on April 5, 2019 to heed Labor’s concerns and make regulatory changes to protect these manufacturers.
As a matter of urgency, Minister Andrews must provide manufacturers with certainty and detail:
- Explain whether the required changes will be done through regulation or through legislation
- Provide a timetable of when regulations or legislation will be released and implemented
- Provide a timetable for states and territories (via the Ministerial Consumer Affairs Forum) to examine and agree on the changes
As it is, the Government’s lackadaisical approach to this multi-billion industry has led to businesses stripping their packaging of Australia Made, increasing threats daily to Australian jobs and businesses.