Among the plethora of options available to send money overseas, the best method is an individual choice that meets the sender’s criteria. Some people may prioritise speed, while others are more interested in the security of the transaction, the total cost of the process, or the convenience factor.

Here, I have identified the methods of transferring money that beat out the rest, according to two of the most important factors: cost and safety.

Transfer fees and exchange rates are the two primary costs involved in sending money overseas. These costs vary considerably based upon which transfer service is used and how much money is sent, so it pays to choose the right service for your specific needs and budget.

Sending small amounts abroad (less than $500)

If you are a parent of adult kids, you might need to send a small amount of cash overseas to help one of your children who has run low on funds while travelling. Or if you have family or friends overseas, you might decide to send money as a birthday or Christmas gift. In these instances, the last thing you would want is to be slugged with fees that are disproportionate to the modest amount of cash you want to move.

When looking to send small funds, look first at the fixed fee being charged. The exchange rate markup, which plays a bigger role on large-sum overseas transfers, becomes negligible.

Banks are normally one of the least cost-effective money transfer options, as they charge upwards of $10 per transfer. Some charge $20. If you are sending just $100 abroad, that’s a 20 per cent fee right off the bat (before factoring the exchange rate markup).

Let’s look at another example. If you are sending $250, and one transfer service charges a flat fee of $25 and another charges 3 per cent of the amount sent, the most cost-effective option would be the latter, as the charged would be just $7.50. Conversely, the larger the sum transferred, the more the flat-fee merchants become the most cost-effective option. If you were sending $2000, the service charging the percentage would then be more expensive (at $60) than the service charging a $25 flat fee.

There are convenient options available beyond money transfer services. PayPal can be used to get funds to the recipient almost instantly, simply by logging into your PayPal account and organising the payment online. However, the recipient must also have a PayPal account to be able to access the funds. Alas, there is a price to pay for this convenience. While PayPal offers low fixed foreign transfer fees (usually less than $1 per transaction, which is deducted from the amount transferred), it charges high margins on exchange rates. Typically, PayPal’s exchange rate conversion fees are 3-4 per cent above the market exchange rate. Factor in other fees levied by PayPal like the cost of depositing back to your back, and the net amount received via PayPal could be 5-10% lower than the amount sent. It should also be noted that PayPal has strong payment protection guarantees (for business transactions), so if anything goes wrong, you should not end up out of pocket. 

The best way to transfer small amounts abroad from Australia is through OFX, a Sydney-based money transfer provider which does not charge any fixed fees per transfer. The cost to send $300 from Australia would be only about $3 (depending on currencies exchanged).

For transfers of $500-5000

Expanding distribution networks and global partnerships have led to the emergence of a plethora of digital-first services that help users avoid percentage-per-amount fees and keep costs low when sending larger sums overseas, largely due to low overheads compared with the banks.

There are other barriers to using banks. In most cases, you must be an existing customer with the bank to use their international money transfer services. Secondly, their processing times are almost always slower than specialist money transfer providers, which means your recipient can be waiting up to a week to access the funds, compared with a day or two with the specialist services. This obviously has implications if emergency money is being sent to the recipient, leaving them with no other means to obtain funds.

Online money transfer services such as Wise charge a fixed, low fee on all transfers. It is transparent, easy and cheap and it is likely the cheapest option for sending $5000 overseas. It’s also much easier to set up your Wise account online than register a bank account in Australia.

While services such as Wise are appealing, they require users to self-manage the process. This means it is the responsibility of the sender to research the best deals, navigate fluctuating foreign exchange rates and facilitate a secure exchange.

Sending sums greater than $5000

Transferring large amounts of money abroad from Australia gets a little more complicated. Most Australians would still use their banks for such payments, but banks not only charge a significantly high per-transfer fee, they also offer a poor exchange rate, in comparison with Australia’s money transfer services. Based on a fee comparison between foreign exchange specialists and banks, if you transfer $10,000 to the UK, you’ll get between 2 and 4 per cent more for your money when using a specialist provider.

The best rated companies for transferring large amounts overseas are currency brokerages. They offer an online platform as well as the choice of making transfers via phone or email. They also offer a dedicated currency expert, if needed, to help with the transfer set up, negotiating a better rate, to advise on the optimal time for the transaction, and so on, if needed.

Declaring large sums for international transfers

In Australia, $10,000 is the maximum amount you can send overseas in a single transfer without having to declare it. Some banks and transfer services set even lower limits. Your transaction history could also impact the amount that you are permitted to send.

Sums greater than $10,000 must be reported. This is designed to prevent incidences of money laundering and tax evasion. If you want to send funds overseas to buy a property, for example, you will be required to fill out documentation where you will need to include information such as your passport number, tax file number, reason for sending the money, the intended recipient, and the origin of the funds being transferred.

Sending large amounts of money via an app or online system can be daunting to some, but it needn’t be a barrier to doing so, as it is a fairly simple process to identify reputable firms through your own research or on comparison sites. The research is worthwhile, as while banks are often considered the first point of call for large transfers, currency brokers such as OFX can offer an even better deal.

Currency brokers are experts in foreign exchange rates and international payments. They specialise in buying and selling currencies on behalf of their customers, guiding them through the entire transfer process.

Ultimately, the best way to send any amount of money overseas is to use an online money transfer service. However, with so many options available, it’s important to research and compare services to secure the best deal for your circumstances, as well as to ensure you engage a reputable company that you are comfortable entrusting your funds with.

Alon is the Founder and Managing Director of Money Transfer Comparison, a global comparison website helping Australian businesses and individuals find the best rate in international money transfers to and from Australia.

New research from a leading travel management company reveals a promising silver lining from the last two years of restrictions, financial instability for businesses and economic downturn.

Almost two in three (62 per cent) Australian SMEs used this time to their advantage, by pivoting and optimising operations, ultimately placing themselves in a better position for recovery and growth.

The findings were derived from a survey of an independent panel of 202 Australian SME business owners, commissioned by Corporate Traveller, Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship specialist SME division.[1] Full survey results across states and business sizes can be found here corporatetraveller.com.au/resources/insights/smes-use-pandemic-to-pivot

Respondents were asked to identify the changes they made in the last two years of restrictions to better their business and could select more than one change from a list of five.

Corporate Traveller found 45 per cent of businesses were able to retain or attract talent by offering employees flexibility, remote working or more choice in their work arrangements, while 27 per cent created a safer workplace for employees by implementing stringent OHS and infection measures.

Nearly one third (31 per cent) transitioned some or all the business online to retain and attract sales.

Other changes businesses implemented during restrictions for a positive outcome included introducing new technologies to make their operations more efficient (chosen by 20 per cent) or streamlining and optimising operations to allow them to do more with fewer people (chosen by 19 per cent).

Fortunately, 19 per cent of businesses were deemed as an essential service or supplied essential products during the pandemic, allowing them to perform well as a result.

Larger businesses were more likely to pivot and implement changes to do business better in the last two years. Half (51 per cent) of medium-sized businesses implemented more stringent OHS and infection controls, compared with 33 per cent small businesses and 16 per cent micro-businesses.

Forty-one (41) per cent of small and medium-sized businesses also offered employees flexibility to retain and attract talent, compared with 18 per cent of micro-businesses.

More medium-sized businesses were also considered an essential service and therefore did well over the last two years: 53 per cent of medium-sized businesses were essential, compared with 24 per cent of small and micro-businesses.

Tom Walley, Global Managing Director at Corporate Traveller, says it is promising to see that many businesses weren’t deterred too much by the challenges presented over the last two years and used it to their advantage instead.

“Many Australian SMEs could be in a better position than they were before the pandemic as a result. Just one in five (19 per cent) businesses didn’t appear to have used the pandemic advantageously by pivoting or optimising operations,” Mr Walley said.

“However, it’s not too late to make changes or engage in activities for growth and recovery and build a more resilient business as a result. The one thing SMEs are inspirational at are adapting to a new environment and there’s no doubt they will lead our economic recovery.

“I encourage Australian businesses to reignite or introduce travel programs now that the world has reopened. International travel will allow businesses to expand into new markets, increase sales, and attract new business partners.”

Full survey results across states and business sizes can be found here corporatetraveller.com.au/resources/insights/smes-use-pandemic-to-pivot

[1] Among the businesses surveyed, 32 per cent had 1-15 employees (micro-businesses), 32 per cent had 16-50 employees (small businesses), and 36 per cent had 51-200 employees (medium-sized businesses).

Only one in three Australian businesses offer employees basic data skills training despite 71% saying they expect that skillset from all employees, according to new research commissioned by Tableau. Insufficient investments in data training are leaving business leaders with a false sense of security.

Data skills are the ability to understand data and draw actions from it. Think of it as having fluency (like a language) so you can then have a conversation.

The survey ‘Building Data Literacy: The Key To Better Decisions, Greater Productivity, And Data-Driven Organisations’ was conducted by Forrester Consulting and indicated a disconnect between the training expectations of employers and employees. Nearly 80% of the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region’s decision-makers (Australia decision-makers: 71%) say that their department successfully provides its workers with needed data skills. However, less than 40% of regional employees (Australia employees: 33%) share the same view, with Aussie employees emerging as the most dissatisfied in the region.

The study included interviews with more than 2,000 executives and employees from 10 countries including Australia.

Data skills are increasingly vital, yet the training lags

The low commitment to training programs is a stark contrast to rising expectations for data-skilled employees. By 2025, close to 70% of employees in Australia are expected to use data heavily in their job, up from 42% in 2018.

While more than half (53%) of Aussie business leaders view basic data skills as the most valuable asset to have in 2025 – beating out the likes of project management and communication skills – that awareness doesn’t translate to investments in data skilling. Only 39% of Australian business leaders make data training available to all employees. Compounding the issue, the survey revealed that 37% of local decision-makers offer training only for employees in traditional data roles (e.g. analytics, data science).

Robert Wickham, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific & Japan, Tableau at Salesforce, said this might also have long-term implications for businesses. He said, “It is clear that businesses who equip their employees with data skills have a significant competitive advantage over those that don’t. But the value of data can only be realised when everyone – not just those traditional data-focused roles – is able to draw insights and turn them into action, fast. This is a rallying call for business leaders in Australia to act now and invest in their people through data training programs. Only then can leaders reap the dividends of new revenue streams and empowered employees.”

Without investments in data training, employers risk employee resignation

The impacts of the talent shortage are being felt globally and Australia is no exception to that. Recent local data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that at the start of this year, job vacancies had increased 6.9% from November 2021 and were 86% higher than 2020 figures.

Australian businesses are under pressure to retain and attract talent. In fact, 84% of Australian employees told researchers that they were more likely to take another job if it provided an opportunity to use data skills. Data literacy has a positive correlation with employee retention – 90% of Australian employees were more likely to stay with a company that invests in training to improve their individual data skills. This figure was the highest of any country in the APJ region.

While the local data literacy skills gap is clear, so is the opportunity

The disconnect between decision-makers’ beliefs and the reality employees face may result in steep costs for businesses but also presents an unprecedented opportunity to build a data-driven organisation.

“Data fluency is a key lever to support our team’s vision of helping people to see and understand data.  It ensures our analysts and business users understand data as a second language, enabling us to derive ROI to clearly communicate the value delivered,” said Fiona Gordon, Global Director BI Strategy & Enablement, JLL, a leading professional services firm that specialises in real estate and investment management. “Our gamification programs have supported talent retention during the great resignation with a low 2-year turnover rate of just 5%, compared to more than 20% in benchmarked industries.”

MIP Australia, an end-to-end data analytics solution provider, has seen a 106% increase in revenues for training services in the past 12 months. “Data literacy is a key attribute and an enabler for organisations that aspire to be data-driven and build a data culture of their own. This means that people can ask questions, challenge ideas, and use data instead of gut feel to make decisions,” said Peter Kokinakos, Chief Operating Officer, MIP Australia. ” Data literacy is not just about the data itself; the real skill lies in the critical thinking required to interpret data and communicate its significance to others through data storytelling.”

“Data is one of the most important strategic assets organisations have. However, without a strong data-driven culture, and the ability of their people to be able to make and implement data-driven decisions, organisations won’t be in a position to properly harness it,” said Dr. David Bond, Director, Master of Business Analytics at the University of Technology Sydney. “We’re seeing a substantial increase in people who want to improve their data fluency to drive their careers forward.”

Even small training investments boost business performance, employee retention and innovation

Overall, Forrester found that upskilling initiatives, formal and informal, produce clear benefits for employees and businesses alike including improved performance, customer and employee satisfaction and employee retention.

Across the board, employers highly value data-skilled employees — viewing them as making better and faster decisions while being more productive and innovative. Employees in Australia agree: 87% believe they made better decisions and 88% made faster decisions when they use data.

About the Building data literacy study

For this study, Forrester surveyed more than 2,000 executives, decision-makers and individual contributors in ten countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents work at global companies with 500+ employees.

More information

Read the full study

In November, Tableau pledged to train 10 million data learners over the next five years. Read more about the pledge.

Go deeper into Tableau and Forrester’s data literacy findings on Tableau Public

Learn more about workforce trends outlined in Salesforce’s Global Digital Skills Index

A report into Australia’s creator economy commissioned by Vista* has revealed a booming entrepreneurial landscape where social media content creators are earning an average of $53,000 a year and creating jobs for others – but feel held back by a lack of business skills and support. In response to the findings, Vista is launching content creator grants, offering five $5,000 grants to help fledgling businesses grow by overcoming hurdles identified in the research, including lack of marketing, design and branding expertise.

Michelle Pan, Senior PR and Social Media Specialist at Vista said, “The study’s findings make it clear these clever creators are raring to go to the next level of growth, but they need some help to get there. Vista’s support through this dedicated pilot grant program will guide and help small business creators to achieve their big ambitions.”

Who’s earning the most from content creation?

The survey of more than 500 content creators who share their own creative work online, or use social media to build an audience for that work or personal brand, found those earning the most from social media content are young, male and on TikTok.

Australian content creators earned an average of $52,744 over the past 12 months, with males raking in more than females on average ($57k compared to $49k). Earnings by Millennials ($58k) and Gen X ($56k) also outpaced those of their Gen Z ($37k) and Baby Boomers ($11k) creator counterparts, while those based in capital cities out-earned those in other parts of Australia by more than $11,000.

The most lucrative platform was TikTok, where creators earned more through social media content than on any other platform ($71k), followed by YouTube ($67k), Snapchat ($65k), Twitter ($65k), Instagram ($61k), Facebook ($59k), WhatsApp ($59k) and Reddit ($58k).

Creating content – and working for others

According to the research findings, creators are making more than content. They are creating jobs and income for others they hire to help make their content, including photographers, videographers, stylists and graphic designers.

More than four in five (83%) paid someone to help them make content in the past 12 months, with creators on Twitter and TikTok the most likely to do so. Amongst these, eight in 10 (81%) hired four or more people.

From side hustle to centre stage

Creators take their business seriously, with almost all of those surveyed (94%) having five-year business goals. Reflecting their long-term commitment to their business, four in 10 plan to shift content creation from a ‘side hustle’ to their main income source (40%) in the next five years, with female creators leading the charge (45% compared to 34% of males).

Creators’ plans include growing reach beyond social media (52%) and broadening their social presence onto other platforms (49%). About four in 10 creators plan to launch or expand their own product line and merchandise (44%) and hire support staff to grow their business (41%).

Hurdles hampering growth

It’s not all smooth sailing though, with 95% of creators facing challenges. Amongst those who have specific concerns or challenges, lack of industry and Government support, training and incentives topped the list (43%) of challenges faced. One in five (22%) creators also note that brands don’t understand how best to work with them.

Compounding these issues, four in 10 creators are challenged by limited knowledge of design and marketing strategies (39%), brand identity development, how to monetise content (both 36%), and how to scale their business (35%).

“It’s in brands’ best interests to get to grips with how to work with these entrepreneurial content creators and social media influencers and to help empower them. It’s a massive sector, already worth more than $100 billion globally, and with huge potential for growth. The influencer market alone grew seven-fold in Australia from 2020 to 2021,” Vista’s Michelle Pan explained. **

“These creators are savvy entrepreneurs with significant influence and clout among their audience that brands can leverage, with four in 10 Millennials believing their favourite YouTube creator understands them more than their friends do.”***

Applications for one of five $5,000 Vista Creator Economy Grants will open on 31 May 2022 and close at midnight (AEST) on 30 June 2022.  More information and online nominations are available at Creator Economy Grants.

Over $200,000 has been raised from more than 600 fundraisers on Facebook to help flood victims in Australia, according to new data from Meta (formerly Facebook). The data comes as Meta has launched a Small Business Flood Relief program for Queensland and New South Wales small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) affected by recent flooding.

Flood-affected data

• Over 350,000 people marked themselves as ‘safe’ during the flooding in Eastern NSW using Facebook’s Safety Check tool since February 23, 2022
• More than 65,000 people in Australia have joined over 150 newly created support groups on Facebook to help flood-affected communities since February 23, 2022

To support SMBs affected by the 2022 flooding, Meta has established the Meta Australian Small Business Flood Relief Support Program, where eligible* SMBs can apply to receive AU$200 in Meta Ad Credits and tailored 1:1 business support mentorship, based on business objectives and needs. 

“We’ve already seen incredible community spirit as people came together to help one another across flood-affected communities in QLD and NSW. Many of these people were also small business owners and over the last few years have faced back to back crises from bushfires, to the pandemic, and now floods. Recovery is going to take a long time, and we wanted to offer businesses some support to help them adapt during these difficult times, and remain committed to supporting flood-affected SMBs get back on their feet.” said Harry Lowes, Director ANZ Scaled, Global Business Group, Meta

In addition to the relief support program, Meta is donating AU$100,000 to local organisations to aid in providing relief and response work to affected communities. An AU$50,000 donation will go to the Australian Red Cross in support of their QLD and NSW Floods Appeal, and an AU$50,000 donation will go to Foodbank Australia from the Meta Crisis and Disaster Response Fund. 

Meta has also provided free ad credits to the NSW State Emergency Service and QLD Fire and Emergency Services to help them further boost their crisis communications messaging and services, including situation updates, evacuation orders and weather warnings. Meta will also provide free training for affected small businesses, to register your interest please visit our website. 

How to apply for the Meta Australian Small Business Flood Relief Support Program

• Visit the Meta Australian Small Business Flood Relief Support Program webpage to apply: https://www.facebook.com/business/small-business/support/australia-flood-relief
• Please view the terms and conditions to check eligibility 

*Eligibility criteria: businesses must have less than 1,500 employees; have an active Facebook page; be located in one of the communities identified as flood-affected by the QLD government or the NSW government, and be able to demonstrate a negative impact on their business from the 2022 flooding.

Supply chain attacks aren’t new. If the past couple of years has taught businesses anything, it’s that the impact of supply chain cyber-attacks is now, universal, from the fallout of the SolarWinds software breach to the exposed Apache Log4j vulnerability and Kaseya last year. Unfortunately, when such supply chain attacks hit smaller businesses who are usually the suppliers to larger enterprises, their impact is especially prohibitive.

For SMBs already feeling the prolonged impact of the pandemic, the added pressure of dealing with sophisticated and frequent cyber attacks in real-time, are a heavy burden, as they try to protect their business against financial, legal and reputational damage, as well as their own suppliers and larger clients’ security. It is now more important than ever for SMBs to implement strict security hygiene and effective cybersecurity processes to ensure their business is prepared for the event of cyber attacks happening.

SMBs as an indirect avenue of cyber attacks

The ‘new normal’ opened the door to several new vulnerabilities; cyber attacks globally increased by 50% on average in 2021, compared to 2020. Our Check Point Threat Intelligence report revealed that an organisation in Australia is attacked on average 809 times per week in the last six months.

While security breaches are on the rise, the top threats impacting SMBs have remained the same. In Check Point’s Small and Medium Business Security Report from 2020/2021, we revealed phishing, malware, credential theft and ransomware to be the top four threats impacting these businesses. So, what does this mean for them?

The reality is threat actors have taken advantage not only of the now-entrenched remote working model to target organisations, but also the usual limits preventing SMBs from bulking up on their cyber security defences, mainly lack of budget and expertise. SMBs often do not have a dedicated IT or security department, meaning with no in-house security expertise and reduced focus on security patching, these companies are easier to socially engineer and infiltrate. Adding to this, SMBs usually have employees doing multiple roles, and thus a wider access to valuable areas of the business and information is given to them, and so if breached, they pose a  threat to multiple areas within the business. In addition, the business IT infrastructure is often shared for personal use communication as well eg. social media, personal emails allowing easier access to hackers, as the data is often not secured.

Threat actors often target SMBs as low hanging fruit for their vital role in supply chains. This is especially so as such attacks wreak havoc on not only one organisation but entire businesses within the supply networks. By leveraging tactics such as phishing, cybercriminals gain access to an organisation to launch a malware attack, steal data and credentials or instigate a ransomware.

Take for example, the attack against Target USA where hackers used stolen credentials from an SMB vendor that serviced the HVAC systems in Target stores, to gain access to the retailer’s network and then laterally move to the systems that kept customer payment information. As a result, the global retailer was breached and 40 million credit and debit cards details stolen.

The key factor to preventing cyberattacks is threat prevention. With minimal time and lack of cyber expertise or manpower, SMBs must adopt a prevention mindset to minimise potential cyber attacks and threats.

Why cybersecurity readiness is paramount for SMBs

Beyond the immediate financial impact and reputational blow as a trustworthy, reliable partner, SMBs can also face legal or regulatory repercussions, operational disruption, flow-on costs for system remediation and cyberattack response, customer churn, and the loss of competitive advantage that can make or break a smaller business. In fact, a tarnished reputation as an avenue of attack can be even more detrimental to an SMB organisation, as the loss of trust with a larger organisation could mean a loss of potential business and revenue down the line with them or other new, potential customers. 

With this in mind, budgetary constraints to keep computers and corporate networks protected should never be an excuse, as keeping sensitive data and information protected will bring many advantages and benefits to companies. This can range from overall cost savings, compliance with data protection laws, gaining the trust of customers and suppliers, to protecting your documents and information to the maximum by preventing any type of data breach.

How SMBs can prevent supply chain attacks

By applying stronger cyber defences, SMBs are in a position to provide larger organisations with assurance that larger companies they supply to will not be compromised via the SMB partner or third-party vendor.

Whilst there are multiple means to prevent such supply chain attacks, the first step is to have good software capable of covering the entire company, protecting the company’s endpoints and devices, supported by regular backups so that, in the event of a cyberattack, they have the possibility of restoring all the data.

Any device that connects to the network can become a security breach, so it is important to secure all endpoints. It is especially critical for remote or hybrid workforces to avoid security breaches and data compromise. Also, all employees should be trained in cybersecurity so that they themselves become the first barrier to any attempted attack, such as phishing via email or SMS. Keep in mind that prevention is one of the best protection measures available.

A viable option for SMBs is to also consider engaging an experienced Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), who will have the skilled resources, updated security software and experienced expertise to monitor for and analyse threats on behalf of the SMB player. This is especially useful for SMBs who have neither the time nor resources to adequately enforce threat detection and response.  

Partnering with a cybersecurity expert equipped with best-in-class security and scalable solution such as Check Point Software can put SMBs in good stead to protect against the most sophisticated attacks and generate trust among larger potential players.

Ultimately, SMBs seek a simple plug-and-play solution with best-in-class threat protection, given their lack of financial funding and skills. With an effective cybersecurity strategy, SMBs are better placed to demonstrate their credibility as secure partners to larger organisations, opening up more business opportunities.

By Rodney Thorne, Australian Country Manager, Check Point Software Technologies

During Australian Made Week (6­–12 June), shoppers and businesses will be urged to seek out and buy genuine Aussie products bearing the trusted green-and-gold kangaroo logo to support the country’s makers and growers, as well as safeguard against access and supply issues illuminated by the pandemic.

A new advertising campaign will highlight how choosing local products and produce makes a huge difference for local employment and businesses, including family-owned commercial catering equipment manufacturer Luus Industries in Melbourne’s west, where part of the Australian Made Week television commercial was filmed.

According to KPMG’s 2021 Family Business Survey 67% of all businesses in Australia are family-owned and operated, with more than half of the nation’s workforce employed by a family business.

Australian Made Week 2022 follows on from the huge success of last year’s inaugural campaign that prompted more than 70% of Aussies to increase their efforts to prioritise local product purchases. The same Roy Morgan survey found that nearly three-quarters (74%) of participants are concerned about the number of products sold in Australia that are made overseas.

Australian Made Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, said Australian Made Week was a great time to draw attention to the benefits of buying local.

“The pandemic has really opened many people’s eyes to the importance of locally made products and how we can all play our part, including businesses, by prioritising Aussie products to help strengthen the economy,” Lazzaro said.

“Roy Morgan research shows that 93% of Australians believe it is important to build up local manufacturing to protect Australians from problems with the supply of products made overseas.

“When you buy Australian Made, you have a direct economic impact on the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Australians throughout the supply chain.

“Australian Made Week is also a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on the interesting and inspiring people behind the 4,200-plus businesses that consider their Australian Made certification as a badge of honour.”

Television presenter, writer, lawyer, maker, business owner and Australian Made Week Ambassador Adam Liaw said it’s more important than ever to support Australian businesses and, in turn, help the economy move forward.

“COVID reminded all of us that we need to think and buy local ­­– and move away from reliance on imported goods – if we’re going to have manufacturing self-sufficiency and reliable supply chains, ensuring we can obtain products we want, when we want them,” he said.

“We are absolutely spoilt for choice in Australia as we have the best products in the world, manufactured and grown to the highest standards right here in our own backyard.

“Buying Australian Made comes with a feel-good factor as you’re making a socially, economically, and environmentally responsible choice with far-reaching benefits.

“I’m encouraging people to get involved in Australian Made Week by asking when they’re making purchases – whether it’s flowers, woks or socks – to go for Australian Made or Grown and make buying local a regular shopping habit for the other 51 weeks of the year.”

Luus Industries is a family-owned business that is immensely proud to bear the Australian Made logo on the premium catering equipment it designs, engineers and manufactures at its Sunshine West headquarters.

“The pandemic has been tough, but family-owned businesses are renowned for their resilience and ingenuity when faced with adversity,” Luus Industries CEO, Ao Luu explained.

“Our family has been in the industry for over 20 years and is committed to supporting the growth of manufacturing in Melbourne and Australia.

“Luus has a workforce of 65 employees whose diverse skills and specialties range from engineering, steel fabricating and welding, through to accounting, sales and marketing. We have so much capability and expertise in this country that we don’t want to lose due to overreliance on imported goods.

“When shoppers look for, and buy, Australian Made they’re supporting the livelihood of local manufacturing, local businesses, local families and local communities.”

Consumers can learn more about Australian Made Week and find genuine Aussie products at www.australianmadeweek.com.au.