Australian Fashion Council discussion with NSW Parliament

On Wednesday 9 October Ali and Anica were kindly invited as members of the Australian Fashion Council to attend an address and roundtable discussion on TCF local manufacturing with Honourable Minister Courtney Houssos MLC, Minister for Finance, Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement and Minister for Natural Resources, hosted by Dr Sarah Kaine MLC.

An engaging roundtable that Ali was invited to be a part of including fellow AFC Members Eric Phu (Citizen Wolf), Jacquie Macdougall (The Social Outfit), Jackie Galleghan (Madre Natura) and Simon Stewart (Stewart & Heaton Clothing), discussed with Hon. Minister Houssos MLC their key concerns and recommendations that can help us here in NSW and broadly nationally.

The discussions called for:

  • Mandatory procurement policies which set minimum local content in government contracts
  • Increased transparency and accessibility to government contracts for SMEs
  • Increased incentives to support the delivery of traineeships and on the job learning inside NSW businesses, particularly for machinists and pattern makers
  • Better promotion of career pathways in fashion to show jobs can be about advanced manufacturing and technology, and to make the craft of making (not just designing) fashion more desirable for young people
  • A focus on the benefits of local manufacturing and holistic recognition of the social impact of local manufacturing in respect of jobs, skills and investment

Ali feels very privileged to have been asked to be on the discussion panel as this is a topic extremely close to our hearts and one that we are always trying to shine a spotlight on.

Here is the essence of Ali's presentation:

"I would like to highlight the importance of the national need to shine a spotlight on Made in Australia products. Through our socials and boutique network we are trying to raise awareness on the greater economic value of supporting not only local, female led, businesses and brands, but manufacture too.

Supporting local is a key driver in consumer spending, and we know from our own sales that it comes with a priceless feel-good factor; but without consistent back up of message the key benefits may lose relevancy.

We noticed this consumer pattern especially during the pandemic, with a strong uplift initially, which has dissipated now that the world has opened again, hence why we launched our “Australians do it better” campaign.

So, my question is how can government help us amplify the message, and gain support for the local manufacturing industry at large, not just fashion?

I believe that local, state and federal all need to lead by example first and foremost, especially with procurement deals as my fellow panellists have mentioned. But for my non-uniform producing business, it’s a more holistic conversation about education and knowledge sharing, and the possibility of benefits, incentives and rewards for those of us that are “keeping it local” and driving that self-sufficient economy which benefits across state and country.

An example of how to get the message out at local level was when our campaign got us noticed by Willoughby Council who then highlighted the story through their “Shop Local” initiative. A small pebble can cause many ripples, and that’s what we are now looking for on a bigger scale.

After reading through your NSW Budget paper, I feel that this conversation falls into the Skilled, Prosperous, Sustainable and even Connected parts of the wellbeing framework; would you agree? And therefore, how can we measure consumer awareness, to ensure an improvement?

My other point of discussion which has also been touched on, is that I have concerns in reference to the future skills deficit. I believe that not enough graduates are “job ready”, as coursework is creative design biased whereas a greater proportion of the coursework would need to be about production if we are aiming to increase local manufacture. To make a garment here takes many more skills than just creating a tech pack and sending it offshore.

I may have missed something, but recently on trying to find whether I could hire an apprentice production manager in fashion, I came up blank, and that’s a potential I hope we can fill moving forward, as my team and I would love to pass on our knowledge and skills.


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.