THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP
ACTING LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, SKILLS AND TRAINING
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR WOMEN
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FARRER
The Australian Labor Party has been caught using the trademarked ‘Australian Made’ logo for political purposes just weeks after a new national campaign was launched during Australian Made Week.
The iconic green triangle with the golden kangaroo is an instantly recognisable symbol and guarantee of ‘Australian made’ quality. It is highly trusted, with 89 per cent of Australians more likely to buy a product if they know it is ‘Australian Made’ thanks to the strength of the branding. The logo is a registered trade mark, and as such its use is strictly controlled.
It can be revealed the ALP have been using the ‘Australian Made’ logo in party political material as it tries to sell the Albanese Government’s flailing Future Made in Australia platform.
In a self-evident example of the Labor machine seeking to politically profit off the trusted ‘Australian Made’ brand, the ALP website features the trademarked ‘Australian Made’ logo as part of a petition about the Future Made in Australia which seeks to capture voter information.
Labor’s rip-off has also reached the Cabinet. A Labor created rip-off ‘Australian Made’ logo is being used by Senior Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Trade Minister Don Farell, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth and Minister for Small Business Julie Collins. These senior figures who should know better have been using the dodgy rip-off logo to spin Labor’s Future Made in Australia policy to hoodwink Australians into thinking Labor’s plan has the ‘Australian Made’ tick of approval.
Acting Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Industry, Sussan Ley called on the Prime Minister to take immediate action and issue an immediate removal notice to the Australian Labor Party, his Ministers and across his party room.
“The Labor Party has been caught ripping off the iconic ‘Australian Made’ brand to try to sell their failed Budget and their flailing industry policies, it is pathetic and needs to stop today,” the Acting Leader said.
“We have uncovered a calculated campaign from Labor using the iconic ‘Australia Made’ logo and members of the Cabinet peddling a rip-off version, it is something you’d expect from dodgy companies, not our national leaders.
“What message does this unacceptable behaviour send to hard-working manufacturers paying fees, in addition to all their other rising costs, to support the work of this world-leading trade mark?”
“This is now a test for the Prime Minister, will he do the right thing and stick up for the ‘Australian Made’ brand or will he let his team continue to rip-off our country by continuing this unacceptable activity. There is a red line which Labor has crossed and it will have a negative impact on this iconic brand.”
“Even if they take down these posts the damage is done. We need to get to the bottom of this matter because Australians deserve to know who is behind this and who is responsible for ripping off this brand. Labor must commit to not using data captured through this petition.”
The ‘Australian Made’ or “AMAG” logo is a registered certification trade mark. It can only be used on products that are registered with the not-for-profit Australian Made Campaign (AMCL) in accordance with the criteria set out in Australian consumer law and the AMAG Logo Code of Practice.