Newsletter #9 - Australian Made

Australian Made

Tired of the hearsay?
In this series of articles we have asked the relevant authorities
for the facts on commonly used symbols. We are interested mainly in
the detail of the artwork requirements - how do we get it right?
The other items covered are the WA Birthmark logo and Australian Company Numbers.

Unlike the WA Birthmark symbols, which may be used at no cost by eligible companies and products, Australian Made certification requires that each product carrying the certification mark be licensed.

The Australian Made Campaign was announced by the Commonwealth Government in 1986 and the Advance Australia Foundation (AAF), a non- political, non-profit public interest company was established in 1979 as its licensing agent and administrator. The Australian Made Campaign was created to make Australians more aware of their skills and to encourage the consumer to purchase locally made products in preference to imported goods, where the quality and price are comparable.

To qualify to use the Australian Made certification mark, the major component of a product must be of Australian origin and at least 75 percent of the cost of production must be incurred in Australia, but under some circumstances a product which has local content of between 50-75 percent may be considered.

The fee for licensing is based on 0.125 percent of the budgeted annual turnover of nominated products, with a minimum fee of $250 to a maximum of $12,500 being payable. The certification mark may be used free of charge by some organisations such as charities and government departments.

Guidelines for use:

All artwork and design using the Australian Made certification mark must be approved by the AAF.
The certification mark may only be used on a licensee's letterhead and business documents if all of their products are licensed.
If only some of their products have a current license licenees may use the statement "(Licensees name) support Australian Made".
Also when featuring the certification mark on brochures and other advertising materials, it can only be used in association with the actual product/s that are licensed. It cannot be used in a general sense where it may give the impression that all of a company's products carry the certification mark.

For further details, contact:
Advance Australia Foundation
6th Floor, 464 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004
Telephone: (03) 867 7677,
Toll-free: 1800 338 283,
Fax: (03) 820 0459