Australia pushing for total tariff relief in US talks

The Advertiser

11 hours ago

Australia will leave no stone unturned in its push for a full tariff exemption as the foreign affairs minister heads to the US capital for crucial talks.
Penny Wong will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Her visit, which will also include a one-on-one talk with Mr Rubio, represents a prime opportunity for Australia as all of America's trading partners make their cases for exemptions from President Donald Trump's tariffs regime.
The UK was able to strike a deal to ensure steel and aluminium exported to the US are subject to 25 per cent levies, rather than the 50 per cent tariff rate applied to the same goods from other US trading partners.
But Australia is aiming higher and will put forward its case for a total tariff exemption.
"It shouldn't be 10 (per cent), it should be zero," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"We engage with everyone in the United States.
"We've put forward, very clearly, our arguments and will continue to do so."
During Mr Trump's first term, Australia - alongside other nations - managed to secure a full exemption on metals tariffs, but the Republican has been far less liberal with his exemptions this time around.
The meeting with senior US officials comes after Mr Albanese was due to meet Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Canada earlier in June.
However, the talks were cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the situation in the Middle East.
Australia has been trying to get the US economic sanctions removed, both the 10 per cent tariff applied to all exports and the 50 per cent tariff for steel and aluminium.
But the prime minister could soon get another chance to make his case with the US president, as cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek said the government was awaiting confirmation of a "suitable time" for their meeting.
The Quad summit coincides with calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Australia is currently on track to grow its defence budget to 2.3 per cent by 2033/34, with the federal government holding firm on its spending commitments.
The debate on defence spending comes as a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released on Monday called for security for sovereign research to be increased.
The report urged for research security to be given the same level for defence priorities as dealing with foreign interference and espionage.
"Foreign states have actively targeted Australia's research ecosystem, seeking to influence research agendas, extract sensitive information and exploit institutional vulnerabilities," the report said.
"However, the threat landscape hasn't remained static, it has evolved, and rapidly."
The report said research security would become even more important as the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK developed.
Meanwhile, as Mr Albanese prepares to travel to China, its ambassador Xiao Qian has penned an opinion piece arguing that "dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved".
"Some countries are ailing yet demand their allies and partners foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to the US, in the article published in The Australian on Monday.
"China unwaveringly adheres to a defensive national defence policy, with military spending accounting for just 1.5 per cent of its GDP," he said.
"It is far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners."
Australia will leave no stone unturned in its push for a full tariff exemption as the foreign affairs minister heads to the US capital for crucial talks.
Penny Wong will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Her visit, which will also include a one-on-one talk with Mr Rubio, represents a prime opportunity for Australia as all of America's trading partners make their cases for exemptions from President Donald Trump's tariffs regime.
The UK was able to strike a deal to ensure steel and aluminium exported to the US are subject to 25 per cent levies, rather than the 50 per cent tariff rate applied to the same goods from other US trading partners.
But Australia is aiming higher and will put forward its case for a total tariff exemption.
"It shouldn't be 10 (per cent), it should be zero," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"We engage with everyone in the United States.
"We've put forward, very clearly, our arguments and will continue to do so."
During Mr Trump's first term, Australia - alongside other nations - managed to secure a full exemption on metals tariffs, but the Republican has been far less liberal with his exemptions this time around.
The meeting with senior US officials comes after Mr Albanese was due to meet Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Canada earlier in June.
However, the talks were cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the situation in the Middle East.
Australia has been trying to get the US economic sanctions removed, both the 10 per cent tariff applied to all exports and the 50 per cent tariff for steel and aluminium.
But the prime minister could soon get another chance to make his case with the US president, as cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek said the government was awaiting confirmation of a "suitable time" for their meeting.
The Quad summit coincides with calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Australia is currently on track to grow its defence budget to 2.3 per cent by 2033/34, with the federal government holding firm on its spending commitments.
The debate on defence spending comes as a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released on Monday called for security for sovereign research to be increased.
The report urged for research security to be given the same level for defence priorities as dealing with foreign interference and espionage.
"Foreign states have actively targeted Australia's research ecosystem, seeking to influence research agendas, extract sensitive information and exploit institutional vulnerabilities," the report said.
"However, the threat landscape hasn't remained static, it has evolved, and rapidly."
The report said research security would become even more important as the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK developed.
Meanwhile, as Mr Albanese prepares to travel to China, its ambassador Xiao Qian has penned an opinion piece arguing that "dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved".
"Some countries are ailing yet demand their allies and partners foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to the US, in the article published in The Australian on Monday.
"China unwaveringly adheres to a defensive national defence policy, with military spending accounting for just 1.5 per cent of its GDP," he said.
"It is far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners."
Australia will leave no stone unturned in its push for a full tariff exemption as the foreign affairs minister heads to the US capital for crucial talks.
Penny Wong will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Her visit, which will also include a one-on-one talk with Mr Rubio, represents a prime opportunity for Australia as all of America's trading partners make their cases for exemptions from President Donald Trump's tariffs regime.
The UK was able to strike a deal to ensure steel and aluminium exported to the US are subject to 25 per cent levies, rather than the 50 per cent tariff rate applied to the same goods from other US trading partners.
But Australia is aiming higher and will put forward its case for a total tariff exemption.
"It shouldn't be 10 (per cent), it should be zero," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"We engage with everyone in the United States.
"We've put forward, very clearly, our arguments and will continue to do so."
During Mr Trump's first term, Australia - alongside other nations - managed to secure a full exemption on metals tariffs, but the Republican has been far less liberal with his exemptions this time around.
The meeting with senior US officials comes after Mr Albanese was due to meet Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Canada earlier in June.
However, the talks were cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the situation in the Middle East.
Australia has been trying to get the US economic sanctions removed, both the 10 per cent tariff applied to all exports and the 50 per cent tariff for steel and aluminium.
But the prime minister could soon get another chance to make his case with the US president, as cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek said the government was awaiting confirmation of a "suitable time" for their meeting.
The Quad summit coincides with calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Australia is currently on track to grow its defence budget to 2.3 per cent by 2033/34, with the federal government holding firm on its spending commitments.
The debate on defence spending comes as a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released on Monday called for security for sovereign research to be increased.
The report urged for research security to be given the same level for defence priorities as dealing with foreign interference and espionage.
"Foreign states have actively targeted Australia's research ecosystem, seeking to influence research agendas, extract sensitive information and exploit institutional vulnerabilities," the report said.
"However, the threat landscape hasn't remained static, it has evolved, and rapidly."
The report said research security would become even more important as the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK developed.
Meanwhile, as Mr Albanese prepares to travel to China, its ambassador Xiao Qian has penned an opinion piece arguing that "dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved".
"Some countries are ailing yet demand their allies and partners foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to the US, in the article published in The Australian on Monday.
"China unwaveringly adheres to a defensive national defence policy, with military spending accounting for just 1.5 per cent of its GDP," he said.
"It is far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners."
Australia will leave no stone unturned in its push for a full tariff exemption as the foreign affairs minister heads to the US capital for crucial talks.
Penny Wong will fly out to Washington on Monday ahead of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, which includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with ministers from India and Japan.
Her visit, which will also include a one-on-one talk with Mr Rubio, represents a prime opportunity for Australia as all of America's trading partners make their cases for exemptions from President Donald Trump's tariffs regime.
The UK was able to strike a deal to ensure steel and aluminium exported to the US are subject to 25 per cent levies, rather than the 50 per cent tariff rate applied to the same goods from other US trading partners.
But Australia is aiming higher and will put forward its case for a total tariff exemption.
"It shouldn't be 10 (per cent), it should be zero," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"We engage with everyone in the United States.
"We've put forward, very clearly, our arguments and will continue to do so."
During Mr Trump's first term, Australia - alongside other nations - managed to secure a full exemption on metals tariffs, but the Republican has been far less liberal with his exemptions this time around.
The meeting with senior US officials comes after Mr Albanese was due to meet Mr Trump at the G7 summit in Canada earlier in June.
However, the talks were cancelled at the eleventh hour due to the situation in the Middle East.
Australia has been trying to get the US economic sanctions removed, both the 10 per cent tariff applied to all exports and the 50 per cent tariff for steel and aluminium.
But the prime minister could soon get another chance to make his case with the US president, as cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek said the government was awaiting confirmation of a "suitable time" for their meeting.
The Quad summit coincides with calls from the US for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
Australia is currently on track to grow its defence budget to 2.3 per cent by 2033/34, with the federal government holding firm on its spending commitments.
The debate on defence spending comes as a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released on Monday called for security for sovereign research to be increased.
The report urged for research security to be given the same level for defence priorities as dealing with foreign interference and espionage.
"Foreign states have actively targeted Australia's research ecosystem, seeking to influence research agendas, extract sensitive information and exploit institutional vulnerabilities," the report said.
"However, the threat landscape hasn't remained static, it has evolved, and rapidly."
The report said research security would become even more important as the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK developed.
Meanwhile, as Mr Albanese prepares to travel to China, its ambassador Xiao Qian has penned an opinion piece arguing that "dramatically increasing military spending places a heavy fiscal burden on the countries involved".
"Some countries are ailing yet demand their allies and partners foot the bill for medicine, which seems to be an almost laughable notion," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to the US, in the article published in The Australian on Monday.
"China unwaveringly adheres to a defensive national defence policy, with military spending accounting for just 1.5 per cent of its GDP," he said.
"It is far below the global average and paling in comparison to certain hegemons or their allies and partners."