Trump Tariff confusion: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls out large hit on Norfolk Island

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been left puzzled by US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Norfolk island, the Australian Territory with a population of just 2200.

The small island, nearly 1600km northeast of Sydney, has been dealt a tariff on imports into the US, three times the amount of the rest of Australia at 29 per cent, compared to Australia 10 percent tariff.

When asked about it on Thursday, Mr Albanese said it “shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is exempt from this”.

During a speech in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday evening US time, Mr Trump unveiled a tariff chart, listing 185 countries, impacting industries across the world.

Mr Albanese said he wasn’t “quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States”.

“President Trump has been determined to put this in place. He has indicated that that was the case and we will continue to argue Australia’s case.”

Even places with no populations are not exempt from Mr Trump’s tariff measures, with the president announcing a 10 per cent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote and uninhabited Australian territory in the Southern Ocean.

The move has sparked ridicule online, as the islands have no permanent residents and are home only to wildlife such as penguins and seals.

Located roughly 1700 km from Antarctica and 4100 km southwest of Perth, the Heard and McDonald Islands are among the world’s most isolated volcanic landmasses.

The islands are “one of the few remaining pristine ecosystems” due to their undisturbed wildlife and geological activity, according to the UNESCO website.

Other targets in Mr Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcements that have baffled trade analysts are Tuvalu (population: 11,000), the Marshall Islands (59,000) and Palau (18,000). None of which rank among the United States’ top 200 trade partners. Even the island chain British Indian Ocean Territory, with no permanent population, made Mr Trump’s hit list.

These small islands and territories will face the standard 10 per cent baseline tariff that applies to nearly all imports to the US.

The tariffs take effect April 5, while the higher rates for major economies like China (34 per cent) and The European Union (20 per cent) will come into effect on April 9.