Australia will “consider all options” after US President Donald Trump announced a temporary 15% tariff on US imports from all countries.
The US president’s move came 24 hours after the US Supreme Court overturned his original 10% import tariff. Shortly after the ruling, Trump announced that he would reinstate the 10% duties before raising them again to 15% using a different law.
In a brief statement on Sunday morning, the trade minister, Dan Farrell, said he was working with the Australian embassy in Washington to “assess the implications and consider all options”.
“Australia believes in free and fair trade,” he said.
“We are consistently advocating against these unfair tariffs.”
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Pharrell will travel to Los Angeles during the week for the G’Day USA event, where he is expected to meet with senior US government officials.
Although the White House fact sheet has not been updated for the latest levy announcement, the new levies are expected to come into force from 4pm AEDT on Tuesday 24 February.
Trump took to social media to announce his response, denouncing the Supreme Court’s ruling as “ridiculous, poorly written and extraordinarily anti-American” and claiming that subjugated countries have been ‘ripping off’ the US for decades.
“Over the next few months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue new and legally permissible tariffs that will continue our extraordinarily successful process of making America great again – more than ever!!!” The US President wrote.
Shadow Defense Minister James Patterson told Sky News on Sunday that Trump’s announcement was “sad and unfortunate”.
“This is against our free trade agreement and the spirit of our friendship between our two countries,” he said.
“I hope the President will consider an exemption for Australia from that tariff, and I hope the Albanese government, which will soon begin in Washington DC, will work with their new ambassador, Greg Moriarty, to secure that exemption for Australia.”
The Nationals’ leader, David Littleproud, told Channel Nine the newly announced tariffs would “hurt everyone”.
“Tariffs are inflationary. And guess who pays for it? It’s the little guy. It’s you and me,” he said.
“When we go to supermarkets, when we go to buy or build a house, we have to pay for it. And that’s the reality of what Donald Trump is doing.”
In November, Trump removed tariffs on beef, coffee and banana exports to the US after admitting that domestic demand outstripped domestic supply. The Australian government has consistently criticized the levies as “an act of economic self-harm”.
