AAP: A 10 per cent tariff on all Australian exports to the US announced by Donald Trump will dominate discussions on the federal election campaign trail on Thursday.
Donald Trump has inserted himself into the federal election campaign after slapping tariffs on 10 per cent on Australian exports to the United States.
The US president announced the sweeping round of tariffs as part of his so-called “Liberation Day” on Thursday morning, Australian time, including reciprocal duties on all countries.
A tariff of 10 per cent is the minimum the US will impose and is arguably a better outcome than Australia had expected given an outright exemption was looking very unlikely and many countries got hit far higher rates.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are set to respond to the measures, which will come into effect in hours, on the campaign trail on Thursday.
Mr Albanese has previously flagged Australia could make a complaint to the global umpire, the World Trade Organisation.
It comes as Mr Albanese met with Australian golfing great Greg Norman, who is in the orbit of Mr Trump, on Wednesday night in Melbourne.
“We’re prepared for all possibilities going forward,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Wednesday.
The prime minister had previously said Australia would not compromise on its biosecurity arrangements or pharmaceutical deals in exchange for reduced tariffs.
Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard said tariffs offered pitfalls for both leaders on the campaign trail.
“It’s a zero-sum game,” Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard told AAP.
“Anytime the major parties talk about this, they risk getting other people offside.”
Mr Dutton, for example, could lean on the Liberal Party’s connections and broad political alignment with the US Republicans to claim he could get on the phone with the president.
“(However) any time Dutton talks about his relationship with Trump, it frames the Liberals as worryingly close to Trump,” Dr Sheppard said.
On the other hand, Labor could be blamed for failing to prevent the president’s first round of tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports.
The fact that no country has scored a US tariff exemption could play into the government’s favour, Dr Sheppard said.
Mr Dutton has argued he is a stronger leader than the prime minister and would be better placed to advocate for Australia’s national interest.
“I don’t care whether it’s President Trump or any other world leader, my job is to stand up for Australians, and I have the strength and the experience to be able to do that,” he said on Wednesday.
The opposition leader will campaign in Western Australia on Thursday while Mr Albanese will begin his day in Melbourne.