Trump’s newest tariffs are ‘unjustified’, says Albanese

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said fresh tariff threats imposed by the Trump administration are “unjustified”, as he defended Australia’s slavery response amid criticisms from the United States.

“Any tariff on Australian exports to the United States are unjustified, they’re inconsistent with our free trade agreement, and also with regard to the specifics that have been put forward by their trade representative: Australia has robust, comprehensive, and world-leading legislation addressing forced labor and modern slavery,” Albanese told ABC radio on Thursday morning.

“We continue to use every opportunity that we have to advocate that US tariffs imposed in Australia are unwarranted, and of course, our view is that tariffs are actually a penalty on consumers in the United States.”

Australia is currently subject to a 10 per cent tariff from the United States, the lowest rate applied to foreign nations by the Trump administration. Government sources told this masthead they were working to understand the application of the new 12.5 per cent rate, but believed it would replace the existing rate.

Albanese highlighted the US’s trade surplus with Australia as further justification that tariffs should not be applied.

While much of the prime minister’s language almost identically mirrored a statement from Trade Minister Don Farrell on Wednesday night, Albanese went on to describe the two nations as having significant differences in opinion on global trade.

“There is an ideological disagreement where the United States administration has broken with what was a decades-long understanding that tariffs are not positive for the country that is imposing them.”

“They increase the costs of goods and services in the country that is applying them to its consumers, and that free trade is in the interests of the global economy. It’s in the interests of Australia. It’s also in the interests of the United States.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor on Thursday described the tariff’s as “rotten”, saying they should be fought.

“They’re wrong, they shouldn’t be tariffs like these imposed on Australia by the United States ... They’re a great friend, and they shouldn’t be doing it,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Former Liberal treasurer and ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey lamented the move, saying: “the president of the United States is absolutely convinced that tariffs are great. I’ve argued personally with him on the issue, and he’s just not for moving”.

“He just can’t see the inflationary impact and the negative impact on American consumers, and it just goes