Shoppers have been urged to "keep Australian Made" in mind this festive season to boost billions of dollars' worth of investment in local businesses and generate jobs growth.
With about $12bn expected to be splurged on Christmas gifts - and up to $70bn in the overall peak season - consumers are being encouraged to seek out Aussie-made and owned products to put under the tree and food and drinks for the table.
Industry organisations are urging shoppers - who are expected to spend between $700 and $800 each on Christmas gifts based on recent spending trends - to be imaginative, innovative and Aussie-spirited this year when scouring the aisles for stocking fillers.
"Australian businesses would be delighted to see their customers backing Australia this Christmas by looking out for 'Australian Made' goods where they can," said Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive officer Andrew McKellar.
"If everyone can just keep Australian Made" in mind when they go shopping this Christmas, it will make a difference to Australian businesses and employment."
The retail call to arms comes after this masthead launched a Back Australia campaign, examining the key issues impacting Aussie businesses and the reforms needed to allow them to prosper.
Australian Retailers Association Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown said the festive season peak trading season could account for as much as two-thirds of retailers' annual profits.
"Aussies love their shopping and while many shoppers do their research online, at least 80 per cent of all purchases still occur in stores," Ms Brown said.
"Retail employs one in 10 Australians and generates $430 billion in revenue - that's almost one fifth of our GDP. So shopping local not gives your favourite retailers a boost - it also boosts our economy."
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Australian Made Campaign chief executive Ben Lazzaro said: "Australian manufacturers produce some of the best products in the world and should be celebrated by shoppers this festive season."
Craig Woolford, Senior Research Analyst at MST Marquee, said retailers could look forward to a four per cent rise in non-food sales in the run up to Christmas.
"We expect a slight softening in growth for furniture and electronics this year, but we do see an acceleration for fashion and decent growth for recreational goods," Mr Woolford said.
The call for a very Aussie-made Christmas comes as new economic analysis shows that every dollar spent buying Australian-made goods and supporting local businesses has a "multiplier effect" across the economy that sustains jobs and props up vital
community services.
The analysis by Westpac shows that when Australians spend money on local goods and services, they're doing more than supporting a business - they're helping fuel an entire economic engine that powers jobs, industries and communities across the country.
The analysis of economic supply chains shows that out of every $1 spent in Australia, 43 cents goes to wages and labour income.
That money then filters out through the economy to support other jobs in a range of sectors.
And while no one holds the tax man in great affection, four cents out of every dollar spent locally helps build roads, hospitals and schools.
"Every dollar you spend with an Australian business has a multiplier effect, not only does that dollar pay the wages of the business you're spending in, it travels down the supply chain, benefiting other Australian businesses," Westpac Head of Business and Industry Economics Sian Fenner said.
COMMUNITY IS KEY TO SUCCESS, INSIST SIBLINGS
For Melbourne restaurateur Jonathan Cosentino, the best thing about being an Australian business is the ability to build strong partnerships in the local community.
"We are all about supporting what is in our backyard. The more we support each other, the stronger we are," Mr Cosentino, who opened Via Porta Eatery and Deli in Melbourne's inner east with his three siblings Sarah, Simon and Ryan in 2014, said.
"Our customers are our neighbours, people we have grown up with and they have been right there alongside us on this journey.
"I think it's nice for the customer to know where their money is going and who it is they are supporting. I think in this way, smaller businesses add to the culture of the community they operate in."
From a single location in Mont Albert, the group has expanded to include a Bakehouse in Hawthorn, Melbourne, where everything is made on-site in an open kitchen.
They have come a long way since the early days when the four siblings lived in the same house together as they battled to get the business up and running.
"It's not easy. I remember back when we first started in 2014, Simon, Ryan, and myself all lived in the same house.
We all worked together, so we would start the day together, finish the day together, and then go home together.
"I think it's hard to manage, but we've got to a point where we all know where we want to get to. We've identified our lanes. We know how to respectfully work with each other rather than against each other anymore. And we've all grown up a bit."
Now there are plans for a third establishment, with help from another long-time partner, Westpac.
"Westpac has been part of our journey from the beginning -- from our parents' investment loan to our latest property purchase. The process has always been smooth and supportive."
This article is part of the Back Australia series, which was supported by Australian Made Campaign, Harvey Norman, Westpac, Bunnings, Coles, TechnologyOne, REA Group, Cadbury, R.M.Williams, Qantas, Vodafone and BHP.
Originally published as New analysis shows how $1 spent locally can impact Australia's economy in huge ways