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| Morrison-era voluntary aluminium exports commitment likely at centre of Trump tariff fight | Morrison-era voluntary aluminium exports commitment likely at centre of Trump tariff fight |
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| Australia ‘killing’ US manufacturing with aluminium imports, Trump’s trade adviser says after president’s announcement | Australia ‘killing’ US manufacturing with aluminium imports, Trump’s trade adviser says after president’s announcement |
| Donald Trump’s trade adviser claims Australia is “crushing” and “killing” America’s manufacturing sector with its imports of aluminium, as the Albanese government scrambles to try to secure exemptions to the president’s 25% tariffs on metal. | Donald Trump’s trade adviser claims Australia is “crushing” and “killing” America’s manufacturing sector with its imports of aluminium, as the Albanese government scrambles to try to secure exemptions to the president’s 25% tariffs on metal. |
| A voluntary commitment from the Morrison government to Trump in 2019 to unofficially limit aluminium exports to America – struck after a dinner between the two leaders at the G20 in Japan – could be at the centre of the dispute, after the president’s proclamation accused Australia of reneging on a verbal agreement on trade levels. | A voluntary commitment from the Morrison government to Trump in 2019 to unofficially limit aluminium exports to America – struck after a dinner between the two leaders at the G20 in Japan – could be at the centre of the dispute, after the president’s proclamation accused Australia of reneging on a verbal agreement on trade levels. |
| Anthony Albanese said he was still hopeful the local steel and aluminium industry could be spared from the tariff regime, even after escalating comments from the Trump administration criticising current trade arrangements with allies, including Australia. | Anthony Albanese said he was still hopeful the local steel and aluminium industry could be spared from the tariff regime, even after escalating comments from the Trump administration criticising current trade arrangements with allies, including Australia. |
| Despite Trump saying tariff exemptions for Australia were being given “great consideration”, the president’s trade adviser Peter Navarro has taken a swipe at aluminium arrangements in a media blitz. | Despite Trump saying tariff exemptions for Australia were being given “great consideration”, the president’s trade adviser Peter Navarro has taken a swipe at aluminium arrangements in a media blitz. |
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| “Australia is just killing our aluminium market. President Trump says, ‘No, no, we’re not doing that any more’,” Navarro told CNN, claiming Australia was seeking to “flood our markets”. | “Australia is just killing our aluminium market. President Trump says, ‘No, no, we’re not doing that any more’,” Navarro told CNN, claiming Australia was seeking to “flood our markets”. |
| On Fox News, Navarro claimed Australia was “crushing” America’s aluminium sector. | On Fox News, Navarro claimed Australia was “crushing” America’s aluminium sector. |
| Trump on Tuesday said the starting point for the worldwide tariff arrangement was that there would be no exemptions for any country, with comments from other advisers that previous exemptions – such as those given to Australia in 2018 – had harmed the US market. | |
| The official proclamation for the aluminium tariffs, signed by Trump, accused Australia of breaking a “verbal commitment” to limit aluminium exports. Albanese government sources indicated this was a reference to an arrangement made by the former Morrison government; former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who secured the initial exemptions with Trump, has indicated he gave no such commitment himself. | The official proclamation for the aluminium tariffs, signed by Trump, accused Australia of breaking a “verbal commitment” to limit aluminium exports. Albanese government sources indicated this was a reference to an arrangement made by the former Morrison government; former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who secured the initial exemptions with Trump, has indicated he gave no such commitment himself. |
| A source with knowledge of the situation said the “verbal commitment” likely refers to a voluntary undertaking made by the Morrison government to curtail aluminium exports to the United States – a kind of informal quota agreed to avoid more formal trade barriers. | A source with knowledge of the situation said the “verbal commitment” likely refers to a voluntary undertaking made by the Morrison government to curtail aluminium exports to the United States – a kind of informal quota agreed to avoid more formal trade barriers. |
| It is understood that Trump raised concerns about Australian exports at a 2019 meeting with Morrison at the G20 in Osaka; at the time it was reported that US officials wanted to remove Australia’s exemption to aluminium tariffs because its export volume had grown significantly. | It is understood that Trump raised concerns about Australian exports at a 2019 meeting with Morrison at the G20 in Osaka; at the time it was reported that US officials wanted to remove Australia’s exemption to aluminium tariffs because its export volume had grown significantly. |
| The source, who requested anonymity to detail the situation, told Guardian Australia that Trump advisers were keen to remove the exemptions in 2019 but an undertaking by the Morrison government saw Australia voluntarily limit aluminium exports instead. | The source, who requested anonymity to detail the situation, told Guardian Australia that Trump advisers were keen to remove the exemptions in 2019 but an undertaking by the Morrison government saw Australia voluntarily limit aluminium exports instead. |
| They said it was unclear whether 2019’s voluntary undertaking was upheld under the Biden or Albanese governments, after the Trump and Morrison governments lost subsequent elections in 2020 and 2022. It’s understood the Albanese government has found no such written or formal record of such an agreement. | They said it was unclear whether 2019’s voluntary undertaking was upheld under the Biden or Albanese governments, after the Trump and Morrison governments lost subsequent elections in 2020 and 2022. It’s understood the Albanese government has found no such written or formal record of such an agreement. |
| Morrison and the former trade minister Simon Birmingham were approached for comment. | |
| Navarro, Trump’s senior adviser on trade and manufacturing, doubled down on criticisms in American TV interviews overnight. Also criticising the actions of Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Brazil, Navarro wrote in a Fox News comment piece of his concerns about “widespread tariff circumvention by foreign countries – including many of our putative allies”. | Navarro, Trump’s senior adviser on trade and manufacturing, doubled down on criticisms in American TV interviews overnight. Also criticising the actions of Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Brazil, Navarro wrote in a Fox News comment piece of his concerns about “widespread tariff circumvention by foreign countries – including many of our putative allies”. |
| “Australia is crushing, just crushing, with the help of China, our aluminium sector,” he told Fox News in a separate interview. | “Australia is crushing, just crushing, with the help of China, our aluminium sector,” he told Fox News in a separate interview. |
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| “The president says no more country exemptions, no more product exclusions.” | “The president says no more country exemptions, no more product exclusions.” |
| On CNN, Navarro went further in criticising Australia. | On CNN, Navarro went further in criticising Australia. |
| “What they do is they just flood our markets after Biden gave them an agreement that said, ‘don’t flood our markets, you can have a reasonable amount’,” he said. | “What they do is they just flood our markets after Biden gave them an agreement that said, ‘don’t flood our markets, you can have a reasonable amount’,” he said. |
| “Our aluminium industry is on its back. It’s at 50% capacity utilisation. In Australia it’s 90%. And we can’t afford not to have strong aluminium and steel industries.” | “Our aluminium industry is on its back. It’s at 50% capacity utilisation. In Australia it’s 90%. And we can’t afford not to have strong aluminium and steel industries.” |
| Clips of Navarro’s interview were posted to an official Trump administration communications account on X, indicating a high level of endorsement of his criticisms by the White House. | Clips of Navarro’s interview were posted to an official Trump administration communications account on X, indicating a high level of endorsement of his criticisms by the White House. |
| At a press conference, Albanese referred to his conversation the day before with Trump, and the president’s own press remarks that he was considering Australian carve-outs. | At a press conference, Albanese referred to his conversation the day before with Trump, and the president’s own press remarks that he was considering Australian carve-outs. |
| “President Trump gave a very clear signal yesterday when he said that an exemption for Australia is under great consideration. They’re his words, they’re consistent with the discussion that I had with President Trump,” he said. “It was a very warm and constructive discussion.” | “President Trump gave a very clear signal yesterday when he said that an exemption for Australia is under great consideration. They’re his words, they’re consistent with the discussion that I had with President Trump,” he said. “It was a very warm and constructive discussion.” |
| The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said in morning media interviews that he was not sure what arrangement Trump’s proclamation referred to, or whether the previous Coalition government had broken its word, but indicated the government was seeking clarity. | The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said in morning media interviews that he was not sure what arrangement Trump’s proclamation referred to, or whether the previous Coalition government had broken its word, but indicated the government was seeking clarity. |
| “No doubt colleagues will try and get to the bottom of what’s being said here, but again, to remind your listeners, we’re talking about something from almost a decade ago under a previous Coalition government,” Chalmers told ABC radio. “It may be that our predecessors can clear this up or provide some more context and commentary around it.” | “No doubt colleagues will try and get to the bottom of what’s being said here, but again, to remind your listeners, we’re talking about something from almost a decade ago under a previous Coalition government,” Chalmers told ABC radio. “It may be that our predecessors can clear this up or provide some more context and commentary around it.” |