Australian news and politics recap March 14: Anthony Albanese announces $750m metals manufacturers fund boost

Queensland was the only state to see its GST distribution go backwards, down $1.2b on last year to $16.6 billion.

“This is primarily due to significant growth in its capacity to earn coal royalties, both from higher coalprices and from an increase in the average national coal royalty rate,” the Commission said.

Legislative changes to the GST distribution arrangements introduced by Scott Morrison, who introduced a GST floor, have continued to benefit West Australia, which “is estimated to receive almost $6b more in GST payments in 2025–26 than it would have received under the previous arrangements,” the Commission said.

The other states “will continue to receive no worse off payments” with NSW to receive an extra $942 million, SA $279m, Tasmania $151m, ACT $35m and NT $248m

The Commonwealth Grants Commission has released its recommendations for the distribution of GST revenue to the states and territories for 2025–26, with Victoria being the big winner.

The Commission recommended Victoria receive an additional $3.7 billion top-up from last year, taking its annual GST receipts to $26.1b.

The Commission said a rebound in population growth in Melbourne following the COVID pandemic increased the state’s relative need for infrastructure spending.

“Changes to the assessment of state COVID-19 expenses increased Victoria’s expected GST distribution given its expenses in these areas were above the average of all states,” was another reason cited by the Commission.

It takes the GST distribution in Victora to $510 per person compared to a national average of $162.

Mr Dutton says it “doesn’t make sense” for Australia to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, after reports emerged Anthony Albanese would join a UK-led “coalition of the willing” call this weekend.

The Opposition Leader said the Prime Minister was “shooting from the hip” when he announced last week he would consider putting boots on the ground.

He said he “has been overruled by the defence minister”.

“France and Germany and Italy haven’t committed any troops to Ukraine and we’ve got a prime minister who needs to find out from a Virgin pilot that there is a Chinese naval fleet of our coast circumnavigating our country,” Mr Dutton said.

“And if the Prime Minister is wanting to commit thousands of our troops to go and serve in Europe it just doesn’t make any sense.

“The Prime Minister is out of his depth when it comes to national security.”

Pressed again on whether he would be willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if there is a ceasefire, Mr Dutton said Australia could support Ukraine in other ways.

“My priority as prime minister and Andrew Hastie, defence minister, would be to invest in the defence forces and make sure we can keep our country safe in a very uncertain world,” he said.

Asked what he makes of former Labor leader Bill Shorten’s suggestion on breakfast TV that Australia should be hitting the US back with tariffs, Mr Dutton described it as an “interesting intervention”.

“Obviously there is a lot of disunity within the Labor Party at the moment... If Bill Shorten believes Anthony Albanese is out of his depth and does not know what to do, I think Australia is right in drawing the same conclusion,” the Opposition Leader said.

“They see a Prime Minister who is weak and out of his depth, and that is what Bill Shorten sees as well.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he is glad the US influencer who caused outrage by picking up a baby wombat has left the country.

“I thought it was a cruel act, to be honest, and I’m glad that influencer has now left,” he told reporters in Erina, NSW.

American influencer Sam Jones has left Australia amid widespread backlash for taking a baby wombat from its mother, but it is not known if she was deported or left voluntarily.

Asked if he would allow her to return to Australia if elected, Mr Dutton said “every application will be assessed on its merit.”

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Anthony Albanese has crashed an interview with Eagle Jeremy McGovern on Nova Perth this morning for a bit of chat about West Coast’s prospects, Labor’s prospects and more tortured football metaphors than you can poke a stick at.

After a quick song and the exit of the club champion, talk turns to US President Donald Trump and tariffs.

“They’re of the view that tariffs somehow are the most beautiful word in the English language,” the PM said of the US administration.

“The truth is, it’s economic self-harm.”

- Katina Curtis

Senator Farrell has reiterated his belief that Australia was never going to get an exemption from Donald Trump’s blanket 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Mr Trump told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a phone call last month he would give “great consideration” to Australia’s pitch for a carve-out, which made similar arguments to what former PM Malcolm Turnbull made in 2018.

But the Government has said the hill would be harder to climb this time around, because Mr Trump has surrounded himself with hawkish advisers like Peter Nevarro.

Asked if the PM or himself should have gotten on a plane to plead the case directly to Mr Trump, Senator Farrell said the “decision was already made”.

“The reality is we will continue to sell our steel and sell our aluminum into the United States,” he said

“It is just going to cost them more.”

Trade Minister Don Farrell says despite how “tempting” retaliatory tariffs against the United States may be, Australia won’t go down that path right now.

Speaking at the Global Food Forum in Melbourne, Senator Farrell responded to suggestions - like that made by former Labor leader Bill Shorten this morning - that Australia should hit back.

“As tempting as that might be... I don’t think it’s the way to resolve these outstanding issues,” he said.

“I think a sensible collective approach, the way that we connected with China, is the way we need to deal with these issues. And certainly that’s the policy to adopt.”

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison says US President Donald Trump’s way of leading may be “unothodox”, but credited the Republic for “trying to get peace” between Russia and Ukraine.

“The thing I learned about President Trump is you feel like what he’s trying to achieve – and I would certainly agree with you, he’s very unorthodox and very unconventional,” Mr Morrison told Times Radio.

Mr Morrison credited Mr Trump for not “presenting himself as anything other” than who he is, reminding listeners that is who Americans voted for.

“What is the objective? It’s actually to get both parties to the table,” Mr Morrison said.

“Now, as he said publicly, the other party is not going to come to the table if you keep abusing them.

“He’s got to change President Putin’s calculus, and he had to change Ukraine’s calculus.”

Former Labor Leader Bill Shorten says the Prime Minister needs to consider ‘pushing back’ against President Trump’s tariffs, by retaliating with reciprocal ‘dollar for dollar’ tariffs on United States goods coming into Australia.

25 percent tariffs started on Australian steel and aluminium going into the USA this week, and there are fears Australian beef and pharmaceuticals will be targeted next, with more tariffs slated to begin on April 2.

The recently retired cabinet minister, who is now the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Canberra, has told Sunrise that at some point the Australian Government will “have to send a message to Mr Trump”.

“At the end of the day if they keep putting tariffs on our goods, we need to reciprocate dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff, but I don’t think we are there yet,” Mr Shorten told Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington.

“They’ve got to think you mean business, it is the last thing you want to do as tariffs hurt everyone.

“If President Trump thinks he can push everyone around, at some point you have got to push back.”

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