Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will appeal directly to U.S. President Donald Trump over Washington’s latest tariff measures after the United States imposed fresh duties on Australian imports.
Albanese said on Sunday the Australian government would continue pressing the issue at every level of its relationship with the United States, describing the tariffs as unjustified and calling for their removal.
“Absolutely,” Albanese said when asked whether he would raise the matter with Trump. “We’ll raise it at every level in the Australia-U.S. relationship. We’ve already done so.”
The United States on Friday introduced new tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, claiming the affected countries had failed to adequately curb the trade of goods produced through forced labour. The move came as a temporary 10% global tariff expired.
Under the new measures, Australian imports are now subject to a 12.5% tariff, alongside goods from 37 other countries. Seventeen countries face a 10% tariff, while five others are subject to mixed tariff rates.
Albanese defended Australia’s labour and supply chain standards, saying the country already has strong modern slavery laws and is further strengthening supply chain oversight, including imposing substantial fines and penalties for non-compliance.
The tariff dispute has become a key issue in Canberra’s ties with Washington, with Albanese reiterating his commitment to pursuing free and fair trade with the United States following his government’s landslide re-election last year.
