Canberra businesses are joining a push for patriotic consumerism, as a new initiative responding to the coronavirus pandemic has introduced certification for Australian owned companies.
While the iconic yellow kangaroo of the Australian Made logo recognises products produced domestically, Australian Owned certification promotes businesses which have 80 per cent local ownership.
"I was chatting to my customers who own companies and they were talking about how their competitors are owned by overseas owners and no one knows about it," Australian Owned founder Eddie Kocwa said.
Mr Kocwa, who also owns Brisbane-based muscle car retailer SCD American Vehicles, said more than 3000 Australian businesses had applied to be certified, including producers, manufacturers, service providers and retailers.
"We don't want the country to go bankrupt, so everyone now has the ability to play their part and help the country to be profitable," he said.
Kingston travel agency Travel Makers joined the initiative after the business was starved of income at the beginning of the pandemic.
"We've been absolutely decimated, we've had no bookings at all since March and we've just been processing refunds so it's pretty tough," managing director Phil Dalley said.
"In our industry, there's a lot of overseas players, a lot of conglomerate booking engines which are big internet giants, and they tend to soak up all the local bookings."
Mr Dalley said he hoped Australian consumers would think more carefully when booking their next holiday, as the domestic travel industry recovered from restrictions.
"Not only are we Australian owned, we are dealing with Australian companies across the country," Mr Dalley said of his business, which employed six staff members.
Businesses which are successfully certified will be able to display Australian Owned logos on products and in stores, featuring a unique business identification number and a star rating which indicates whether business merchandise is also manufactured locally.
"There's a lot of potential to create an all Australian marketplace of Aussie owned businesses and suppliers," Mr Kocwa said.
"When someone is shopping and you have two products to pick between, if they're similar in quality and price, why not select the Australian owned one?"
