The Liberal party is “cheering against Australia’s interest” in relation to looming US steel and aluminium tariffs, Anthony Albanese has claimed, with escalating concern that Donald Trump may not give the exemption Canberra had hoped for.
Despite President Trump saying Australian exemptions to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium would be given “great consideration”, hopes are fading that a carve-out will come through. The tariffs will start on 12 March unless Albanese can secure an exemption.
Asked about the tariffs, Trump on Friday (AEDT) said the global trade barriers “will not be modified”, further casting doubt on Australia’s bid to receive an exemption.
Coalition politicians have said they support Albanese’s bid to get special treatment for Australia but some, including the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, said failing to secure a carve-out would be a failure of the prime minister. Paterson told Sky News this week that it was “bizarre” Albanese hadn’t travelled to Washington DC to meet Trump, asking “is he afraid of what would happen in a Greens seat if he’s pictured with Donald Trump? Or is he still scared of Donald Trump?”
The shadow foreign minister, David Coleman, said on Thursday “we hope the prime minister succeeds in securing an exemption because Australia needs him to”.
During a press conference on Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which is nearing the Queensland coast, Albanese said he was focused on the natural disaster but that Australia would continue to put its case to the US for a carve-out.
Pressed on the comments from Liberal politicians, Albanese accused the opposition of “not cheering for Australia”. He said when the former Liberal government sought and secured exemptions to Trump’s tariffs in its first term in office, the then Labor opposition had supported them.
“Do those comments assist Australia in getting an exemption, or does that sort of political play talk undermine Australia’s national position?” Albanese asked.
“This is an opposition to always talk down Australia’s national interest. If you go back to 2018, you know what the opposition was doing, led by Bill Shorten then? We were cheering with the government. That’s what responsible oppositions do … Australians will judge that sort of nonsense, and cheering against Australia’s position, in an appropriate way.”
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, came under fire from Labor for his decision to travel to Sydney for a political fundraiser earlier in the week at the home of pub mogul Justin Hemmes. He also cancelled fundraisers in Melbourne on Wednesday, before returning to his Brisbane electorate ahead of the cyclone’s arrival.
But the deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, returned serve by pointing out Labor is also advertising for its own fundraisers on budget night, 25 March – even though there is wide expectation Albanese is seeking to call an election by this coming Monday, which would cancel the budget. That potential timing is now in question due to the cyclone.
On ABC TV on Friday, Ley defended Dutton’s commitment to his community and said he was back in Brisbane now, but said “is the prime minister and the Labor party raising money off the back of a budget that they’re actually refusing to commit to?”
Albanese told his press conference “there are no politics” when it came to the cyclone. However, he did not agree when asked whether there should be a pause in all campaign activity amid the unfolding natural disaster.
Asked about Ley’s comments, he said: “the Liberal party, her own party, have sent invitations I understand as well. It’s normal that on budget night there’ll be events that will occur.”
“My government is razor focused on dealing with this challenge. I tell you who’s not razor focused on dealing with this challenge. That’s Paul Erickson, the national secretary of the Labor party, because it’s not his job. He has a different job.”
