Reducing import consumption in an effort to lessen our chronic trade deficit is perhaps the best economic case for buying Australian owned and made products. Our trade imbalance is being financed by borrowing from overseas and by selling domestic assets to foreigners. We are constantly told that this deficit-induced debt is private and is, therefore, irrelevant as the Federal Government is running a surplus. However, this is a fallacious argument as the debt must still be serviced and the money required for servicing it continues to increase, and this, together with our insatiable demand for imported products, means that Australia’s foreign debt will keep ballooning at an accelerated rate. An ever-growing debt-servicing burden has implications for the entire nation, especially if/when our terms of trade change for the worse.

Kenneth Davidson at The Age recently examined the findings of chief economist of HSBC bank, Dr John Edwards, in a paper prepared for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. Davidson wrote:

"According to Edwards, if Australia wants to stabilise net foreign liabilities at 100 per cent of GDP, it must permanently limit the current account deficit to a maximum of 5 per cent of GDP, and it must do so by running a trade surplus of 1 per cent of GDP. This doesn't look too much of an ask, but given that in recent years Australia has been running a trade deficit of 3 per cent of GDP, Edwards points out: "The move to a surplus of 1 per cent of GDP means that exports have to increase by 4 per cent of GDP or imports cut by 4 per cent of GDP, or some mix of the two."

To put these shifts in context: the weight of the adjustment must fall on consumption rather than investment because investment is needed either to increase exports or achieve the necessary import substitution to avoid the necessity of the adjustment occurring in the context of a shrinking economy and rising unemployment."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/foreign-debt-a-cause-for-concern/2007/05/20/1179601239331.html

individual has a good point in my eyes. Skill shortages are closely related to the obesity epidemic (or maybe not you judge)it seems to me that people currently will do a lot to avoid physical labour hence the ever expanding public service and advisory rolls that are created with public money everday.
Those AUSTRALIAN companies that have made the effort to compete within the market should be given the respect and support the government and Australian people even for the sake of a few dollars.
Also how many of you red tape types out there are willing to unclog my septic for under $1000 please reply and ill get you in! ASAP