Trade Minister Don Farrell has labelled Donald Trump’s 12.5 per cent tariff on Australia as disappointing and unjustified.
Farrell was speaking at a press conference in Adelaide, where the move from the United States president overnight has pulled the focus of senior ministers assembled for the national conference.
Don Farrell, right, with national secretary Paul Erickson at the conference on Thursday.Dominic Lorrimer
“The Albanese government believes that this imposition of higher tariffs on Australia is completely unjustified, and we will continue to lobby the United States trade representative to remove all tariffs on Australian goods,” he said.
“We have, as a response to the original decision on Liberation Day, expanded our trade relationship. Last year, Australian trade reached a record figure: $1.32 trillion. Never in the history of Australia have we done so much trade, and this government, the Albanese government’s attempt to diversify our trade relationship, will continue.”
Farrell rejected the Trump administration’s justification for the tariffs that Australia was among the nations around the world that was not doing enough to tackle modern slavery.