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Donald Trump rejects Australia's bid for exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs
ABC NEWS (Australia)
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3/12/2025
Opposition MPs have criticised the Prime Minister and Trade Minister for failing to meet with President Donald Trump in person during negotiations for an exemption.
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00:00
Speaking with government sources, they're essentially saying that discussions will be
00:07
carried out right until the last minute, but there's certainly a sense of disappointment
00:11
given just a month ago Anthony Albanese had a very friendly phone discussion with Donald
00:16
Trump in which the US President said that he would deeply consider Australia's request
00:22
to be carved out from these 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium.
00:30
Now it would appear from the latest commentary from the White House, that's no longer on
00:35
the table.
00:36
However, we do know that Kevin Rudd, who is Australia's ambassador to the United States,
00:41
he was slated to meet with key officials within the Trump administration today.
00:46
So he will be making a last ditch attempt, you could say, to secure a carve out.
00:52
So there is some ray of hope there.
00:54
We did hear from the Health Minister, Mark Butler, on these developments this morning
01:00
and he says he's ultimately disappointed.
01:04
This is obviously deeply disappointing news, but we knew this was going to be a tough fight.
01:09
The second Trump administration seems much more determined on this front than perhaps
01:14
the first administration, and even back then when the Turnbull government was in office
01:18
here in Australia, it took nine months to gain the exemption that they ultimately did.
01:23
So we've been working very hard on this.
01:26
Today's news is disappointing, but we don't see this issue as being over by any means.
01:32
There is an election around the corner, what are the political implications of this?
01:36
Well this is obviously an evolving situation, but the Albanese government is obviously alive
01:42
to the impacts of this decision on the Australian economy, given the cost of living is just
01:49
so crucial and front of mind for voters across the nation.
01:53
When it comes to the raw politics of this decision though, in recent weeks we've already
01:57
seen the Coalition moving to paint these tariff exemptions as a bit of a test for the Albanese
02:04
government.
02:05
We've already heard from some members of the Coalition this morning essentially saying
02:11
this is a failure of Anthony Albanese's leadership, and Australia would have had a better hand
02:17
at the negotiating table had the Prime Minister travelled to Washington DC and met with Donald
02:23
Trump in person, because the US President is a leader who really values those personal
02:29
relationships.
02:30
On the other side though, we've seen the likes of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
02:36
He did manage to secure exemptions under the first Trump administration, however he says
02:42
that this time round the equation has ultimately changed and the Albanese government wouldn't
02:48
be to blame if it isn't able to secure those carve-outs.
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