Trade Minister Don Farrell says he hasn’t contacted his Trump administration counterpart, Jamieson Greer, regarding the changes to beef import rules.
It comes as the Coalition accuses the Albanese Government of allowing US beef to attempt to catch up on Trump tariff talks, “at the expense of biosecurity”.
“We don’t link biosecurity issues with trade issues. The Americans can do what they like,” the Trade Minister told Sky News.
He said he would continue mounting an argument against the US imposing tariffs on Australia on the merits of the existing trading relationship, which is overwhelmingly in favour of the US.
Australia has been hit with 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium, the same as other countries except the UK, which faces 25 per cent, along with the 10 per cent baseline “reciprocal tariff”.
Senator Farrell said it took two-and-a-half years to get all of China’s trade impediments removed, saying it would take time to work on the US.
“I can’t read the minds of the Americans, particularly not President Trump,” he said.