Aussies happy to pay more for clothes

Westfield shopping centre in Paramatta, Sydney. Photo: Getty Images
Westfield shopping centre in Paramatta, Sydney. Photo: Getty Images

Almost 90% of Australians would be willing to pay more for clothes if garment workers are not exploited.

Oxfam Australia's chief executive Helen Szoke said a survey of 1000 people showed Australians supported fair wages and safe conditions for garment workers.

She said 21% of those polled were happy to pay more than $10 ($NZ11.20), another 30% would pay between $5 to $10, and 48% would pay an extra $2 to $5.

The poll comes as an Oxfam scorecard reveals seven out of 12 major Australian fashion retailers are not publishing a full list of names and locations of overseas factories.

Bangladesh is the second-biggest supplier of clothes to Australia.

"Workers making clothes in Bangladesh are paid only about $A20 a week, and often work up to 11 hours a day, six days a week," Dr Szoke said.

"This is not enough for these women to lift themselves out of poverty."

April 17 marked the third anniversary of the collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, where 1134 people died and hundreds of others were injured.

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