Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gestures throughout a press convention in Sydney, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Dean Lewins/AP
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Dean Lewins/AP
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated Wednesday that U.S. tariffs on Australian metal and aluminum had been unjustified, however his authorities wouldn’t retaliate with its personal tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated final month he was contemplating a tariff exemption for Australia, a free commerce treaty accomplice that has traded with the USA at a deficit for many years.
A former Australian authorities secured an exemption with the earlier Trump administration in 2018 primarily based on arguments together with that Australian steelmaker BlueScope employs hundreds of staff within the U.S.
Albanese stated he would proceed to pursue an Australian exemption. The 2018 exemption took a number of months to safe.
“It has been foreshadowed that no nation no matter its relationship with the USA has been granted an exemption. Such a choice by the Trump administration is solely unjustified,” Albanese stated.
“Tariffs and escalating commerce tensions are a type of financial self-harm and a recipe for slower progress and better inflation. They’re paid by the customers. This is the reason Australia won’t be imposing reciprocal tariffs on the USA,” Albanese added.
The U.S. formally elevated tariffs on all metal and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday.
The U.S. resolution to not exempt Australia was introduced days after a spat grew to become public between Trump and the previous Australian prime minister who secured the 2018 exemption, Malcolm Turnbull.
Trump described Turnbull, who stop politics in 2018 after being overthrown as prime minister by his personal authorities, as a weak and ineffective chief.
“Malcolm Turnbull, the previous Prime Minister of Australia who was all the time main that great nation from ‘behind’, by no means understood what was occurring in China, nor did he have the capability to take action,” Trump wrote on social media.
“I all the time thought he was a weak and ineffective chief and, clearly, Australian’s (sic) agreed with me!!!” Trump added.
Trump was responding to an interview Turnbull gave this week to U.S. media firm Bloomberg by which the previous Australian chief stated Chinese language President Xi Jinping would reap the benefits of the U.S. president’s chaotic and erratic management.
“I feel China will take benefit, huge benefit of Trump,” Turnbull informed Bloomberg.
“What my prediction can be that President Xi will purpose to be the precise reverse of Trump. The place Trump is chaotic, he can be constant. The place Trump is impolite and abusive, he’ll be respectful. The place Trump is erratic, he can be constant,” Turnbull stated.
“And what that may do is construct belief with international locations, and there will be many international locations who will, you recognize, China on the one hand and Trump on the opposite, will discover China a extra enticing accomplice,” Turnbull added.
