Technology companies are under pressure to reduce the yawning gaps in prices between Australia and the US, as the government has asked treasury officials and the Productivity Commission to investigate the issue.

Price discrimination around gadgets, software and media is increasingly catching the ire of politicians, businesses and consumers as the Australian dollar has been valued above the US dollar for some time yet prices haven't dropped to reflect this.

Federal Labor MP Ed Husic at home with his MacBook. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Australians pay hundreds of dollars more for laptops, phones and other gadgets while software, which is now often delivered over the internet, is commonly 60-80 per cent more expensive in Australia despite companies facing no significant additional costs to distribute it here.

Labor MP Ed Husic, the member for Chifley, has raised the issue in parliament several times, claiming Australians are being "ripped off".