Decisions by global technology companies are probably the main reason why Australians pay much more than shoppers overseas for downloads of music, films and software, a government department says.

But the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has also played down the case for tougher laws that would force foreign companies to charge Australians less.

iExplain ... Australians want to know why they are paying more than the rest of the world.

With some products on iTunes costing twice as much here as overseas and software also costing significantly more, a parliamentary inquiry is calling on firms such as Apple and Microsoft to explain the gap.

In its submission, the department says pricing decisions of international distributors were often the main reason Australians paid more.