Sussan Ley slams Anthony Albanese for missed opportunity with Donald Trump on Australia’s tariff rates

Opposition leader Sussan Ley says Anthony Albanese missed the opportunity to alleviate Australia’s tariff burdens after skipping key discussions on trade while in the White House.

Despite concerns in the lead-up to the highly anticipated talks with Donald Trump that Australia’s pharmaceutical sector could be slapped with 100 per cent tariffs on all products which don’t have a US presence, the Prime Minister didn’t raise the issue.

Ms Ley on Wednesday also criticised the PM for coming home without securing lower tariffs for steel and aluminium exporters, who were targeted with 25 per cent tariffs by the Trump administration in March.

The Liberal Leader said while she welcomed his critical minerals deal and assurances around the AUKUS pact, she was disappointed Mr Albanese didn’t advocate for industry impacted by the US trade regime.

“There was no conversation yesterday in the Oval Office about relief from tariffs. Nothing about the tariff burden for our steel and aluminium sector,” Ms Ley said on Wednesday.

“The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was able to negotiate those tariffs down by 50 per cent. Our prime minister was unable to do that.

“Now there’s 200,000 jobs relying on those industries here in Australia, and I would like to hear the Prime Minister back in those industries and talk about moves with the US to actually change our tariff burden.”

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, however, described the trip as “incredibly successful” when asked if it was a missed opportunity not to seek assurances for the pharmaceutical sector or lower tariffs for Australian steel and aluminium.

She vowed there would be continued engagement on both issues, but raised that a deal on critical minerals and support for AUKUS had been the Prime Minister’s priority.

“We continue to engage with the US. And we’ll continue to do that on all of those other matters,” Senator Gallagher said.

“I think this was an incredibly successful trip. I think the Prime Minister has gone representing the country in our national interest.

“There will be continued engagement with the US — in a whole number of areas.”

Health Minister Mark Butler had vowed in July that Australia would continue to “press the case” after concerns from the medicines sector and patients who rely on the PBS.

Mr Albanese and Mr Butler have repeatedly said that the “PBS is not for sale” and promised to fight against any threat by the US to impact the scheme.

While speaking in Washington after the meeting, Mr Albanese confirmed he had, however, raised Australia’s blanket 10 per cent levy on Australian goods to the US President during the duo’s bilateral.

“Yes, of course I did. The United States has a different position from Australia when it comes to tariffs. I continue and will always put the case for free and fair trade,” he told ABC Breakfast on Wednesday.

“I’ll always put the case for Australia’s interests to be advanced. That’s my job. But we do so respectfully and diplomatically.

“That’s how you get outcomes. And it is important to recognise that there’s no country in the world has a lower tariff than Australia.

“And so that’s the starting point for the discussions. But we’ll continue to engage and we’ll continue to put our case forward.”

Mr Albanese wrapped up his trip to Washington on Wednesday, telling a BHP event in the US that Australia’s relationship had gone “up a notch” after the trip.

There’s potential the PM and Mr Trump could meet again on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC and ASEAN summits in Asia.