Australian Products Shopping Guide

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:00): The 10^th edition of the Florey Australian Products Shopping Guide has been released just in time for the inaugural Australian Made Week, on now until Sunday 30 May. The product guide was first suggested by one of my constituents, Mrs June Ayres, in 2001 and has grown to be widely welcomed throughout the electorate and more broadly across the north-eastern suburbs. This edition is no exception. It has also been picked up by radio and print media and independent supermarkets as a guide to help consumers more easily identify Australian products when they are out shopping.

South Australians may have recently seen radio and print advertisements about Australian Made Week. This week is the first ever Australian Made Week, a brilliant initiative by the Australian Made Campaign Limited. Dean Blake's article from 24 May quotes Australian Made chief, Ben Lazzaro:

It's an opportunity to focus on the benefits of buying local and highlight that when you buy Australian Made, you have a direct economic impact on the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Australians throughout the supply chain.

This week in particular shoppers are being urged to say g'day to one extra locally made or grown product per week to help boost the state and the nation's economy over the next 12 months, as the beginning of a change in behaviour by trying products for the very first time. Every dollar spent on Australian made and owned products makes a difference to local businesses, growers and producers.

A recent Roy Morgan report predicted an extra $5 billion injection into the local economy and up to 11,000 new jobs if every household spent just an additional $10 a week on Australian-made products. That is where the Florey Australian Products Shopping Guide comes in so very handy. It lists hundreds and hundreds of products readily available in local supermarkets—that is the key to the inclusion of your product on this list: they have to be readily available in supermarkets—as there are hundreds more products available in smaller shops and markets throughout the state. We just cannot know about or even list all of them.

It is not an exhaustive list in this guide, but it certainly helps with easy identification of origin of goods when you are zipping about the supermarket, busy after the end of school or on your way home from work.

Why would Australians not want to buy high-quality, locally made products and locally grown food? We have seen in recent times a re-acquisition by Bega Cheese of the iconic Australian brands Vegemite and Farmers Union. The quality and craftsmanship of Australian-made products is internationally renowned, like those from the quintessentially Australian bush outfitter R. M. Williams, which was recently returned to Australian ownership through Nicola and Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest.

It is not widely known that R.M. (Reginald Murray) Williams owned a large parcel of land in modern-day Walkley Heights and Northfield, currently located within the electorate of Florey. The names of many of the streets in Walkley Heights still bear names relating to R.M. and his family and highlight his historic legacy in our area. It is a legacy of making things here and making them well.

Small to medium as well as large Australian-owned companies create jobs for many people all over South Australia. Over the past year, with the onset of the pandemic, South Australians have rediscovered how important it is to continue making and growing things here.

The South Australian Produce Market in Pooraka have a wonderful 'Pick A Local, Pick SA!' campaign, and much of its excellent produce is locally grown and seen stocked on shelves in Foodland supermarkets and other independent stores across Adelaide. These South Australian success stories are unique to us here. They are stories which do not need the complication of widespread supermarket deregulation, but that of course is another story.

Foodland in particular have been keen supporters of the Florey Australian Products Shopping Guide, and I thank Franklin dos Santos, his board and all the Foodland people for all they do. Their work has seen an increase in the amount of Australian-owned and made products purchased for the very first time by households, dating way back to the very first edition of the Florey products guide some 20 years ago. It is a trend we all hope will continue to grow.

From food and drink to cleaning products and skincare, thousands of Australian-owned and made products listed and are correct, at least at the time of printing. It is a very big job, and I want to thank my staff for their painstaking attention to detail, Sue Dyer for her design and update of the brochure, Modbury Press for printing it and of course Australia Post for delivery.

Local South Australian products are highlighted and available at most Foodland stores throughout the state. It also contains a handy guide on how to look for and use the country of origin labels bearing the Australian Made logo. Anyone who has not received or wants a copy of the guide can pick one up from my Modbury North office while stocks last. I am always happy to help local people support local businesses, ensuring our community looks after each other.

If one thing can emerge from the hardship so many have endured due to COVID-19, let's hope it can be a shared responsibility to look after each other. When we think about looking after each other, nothing highlighted the extent of those sorts of things more in the COVID crisis than the run on toilet paper. I cannot believe what happened in that case.

I want to thank all South Australians for purchasing South Australian products whenever they can. Remember, spending just $10 a week will play a part.