Don Farrell says Albanese govt will 'coolly and calmly' reason with Donald Trump to remove steel, aluminium tariffs

Sky News AU

2 days ago

Trade Minister Don Farrell has hit out at President Donald Trump, saying his plan to double the tariffs on imported steel and aluminium "is not the act of a friend".
The commander-in-chief flagged on Saturday he is preparing to lift the levies from 25 per cent to 50 per cent to "secure the steel industry" in the United States.
It is set to begin next Wednesday which could see prices soar and the trade war deepen further since President Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" announcement in April.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Mr Farrell said the Albanese government is "very concerned" about the plan to double tariffs on the materials.
He described the move as the "wrong course of action" and urged the administration to reverse the call and "drop all tariffs" on Australian steel and aluminium products.
"We believe this will simply push up the price for consumers in the United States and do nothing for the prosperity of both of our nations," the Trade Minister said.
"The Albanese government believes in free and fair trade. We do not believe that these increase in tariffs is consistent with that and we call upon the Trump Administration to drop these tariffs and return to the tariff-free arrangement between Australia and the United States that exists under our free trade agreement."
President Trump had first lifted the levies to 25 per cent back in April, in a move that he believes will help industries and businesses in the US which are struggling.
According to the United Nations Comtrade database, Australia exported $237 million in steel and iron products to the US in 2023 and $275 million in aluminium in 2024.
Asked by a reporter if there was something he could use as leverage, Mr Farrell said the Albanese government does not believe in retaliation.
"We're going to do exactly what we did with China, we are going to coolly and calmly argue our case for the removal of these tariffs. People said when we came to office three years ago, you'll never get rid of $20 billion worth of tariffs, well we did," he said.
The Trade Minister also argued tariffs "does not improve prosperity of the Americans nor Australians" and that prices will rise for consumers in the US.
Mr Farrell has also called Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd to set up a meeting with his American counterpart Jameson Greer for negotiations in Paris.
"We need to put our arguments that this is the wrong economic policy. It's a very simple argument. This is not the right way to go," he said.
"My job is to convince the Americans to reverse this decision and get back to a simple and sensible policy which is free and fair trade with no tariffs."