The Roy Morgan research also showed that 34 per cent of companies had neither a policy nor a preference for buying Australian-made goods.
"It is worrying to discover that the portion of companies with 'buy local' policies in place is so low," Ian Harrison, Australian Made chief executive, said.
"Perhaps even more concerning is the percentage of businesses with no apparent inclination to reinvest back into the local business community they operate in.
"At a time when it is clear that consumers, even government, are placing more importance on buying Australian-made, it is disappointing that businesses are not leading the way."
The top three reasons given by businesses for not having a clear policy or preference were price (21 per cent), lack of availability (20 per cent) and value (14 per cent).
Harrison said the misconception that Australian products are always more expensive needs to be revisited and put into a broader context than just price.
"We recognise the pressure that many Aussie businesses are under in the marketplace from cheap imports and the need therefore to keep the 'cost of doing business' down, but we urge them to consider local sourcing wherever possible," he said.
"Products made and grown in Australia to our high quality, health and safety standards offer genuine value."
