Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared Wednesday that Washington’s impending steel and aluminum tariffs are “entirely unjustified” after he was unable to obtain a last-minute exemption.
“This is not a friendly act,” Albanese told reporters, after the White House dashed hopes that Australia would be excluded from blanket 25 percent levies on steel and aluminium.
“Quite clearly it is not a positive step in our relationship. It is as simple as that.”
US President Donald Trump’s decision to slug close ally Australia was “entirely unjustified”, Albanese said.
“This is against the spirit of our two nations’ enduring friendship. Friends need to act in a way that reinforces, to our respective populations, the fact that we are friends.”
Despite the setback, Albanese said Australia would not retaliate.
“Tariffs and escalating trade tensions are a form of economic self-harm and a recipe for slower growth and higher inflation”, he added.
Albanese hinted that Australia may be one of the few nations to secure an exemption following a phone call with Trump in February.
“The US President agreed that an exemption was under consideration in the interests of both of our countries,” Albanese said at the time.
White House officials told Australian media overnight that the exemption was no longer on the table.
“He considered it, and considered against it,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told national broadcaster ABC.
Australia is a major supplier of iron ore, a crucial raw material for the alloy, although it is a small player in the world’s steel export markets.
According to Australian steel manufacturer BlueScope, it had about 4,000 employees in the US.
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