CFMEU manufacturing national secretary Michael O'Connor and textiles national secretary Jenny Kruschel visited workers at the Australian Defence Apparel and Victorian Carpets on Wednesday to promote the need for greater investment in the sectors from governments.

"We were meeting our members to talk about the work that's been done to push government to buy more locally made goods," Mr O'Connor said.

"This has always been something we work on and post-COVID there is an opportunity to boost Australian manufacturing.

"The Australian and Victorian governments have huge purchasing power. If they prioritised local manufacturers, it would support regional Victorian jobs."

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The CMFEU is asking central Victorian workers to email the federal government to call for 100 per cent Australian-made defence uniforms and the Victorian government for 100 per cent Australian-made carpets in the state's $5.4 billion social housing build.

Mr O'Connor said open discussions with both tiers of government were well under way to promote Australian products.

"To give credit where credit is due, the Victorian government has changed a lot of their procurement requirements and have increased purchasing of local manufacturing goods, but we think more can be done," Mr O'Connor said.

"We've recently had discussions about the purchasing of imported timber for the railways over the local product.

"Australian-made is our slogan. The response we get from our members and the community is it's a no-brainer to buy Australian-made products. If we can create more jobs and keep our money in the country, it's a win-win."

Mr O'Connor said many international countries prioritise their local products and the CMFEU is lobbying Australian governments to do the same.

"We're constantly pushing our case," he said. "If we're not going hard all the time we'll see shrinkage in local investment.

"We need to keep reminding people that it's very important to use taxpayer dollars to support local jobs.

"Imagine how much carpet and uniforms there would be between the state and federal government needs.

"We're hoping to get the government's orders here and in doing so increase employment across the Bendigo region."

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