Former Labor minister Bill Shorten urges Aus to | Australian Markets

Former senior minister Invoice Shorten has waded back into the political discourse, urging Australia to “push back” towards Donald Trump’s call to hit Australian metal and aluminium imports with 25 per cent tariffs.

Whereas the federal government will proceed negotiating an exemption for Australia, it has ruled out retaliatory tariffs which it argues would hit Australian companies more durable.

Nonetheless Mr Shorten, who formally resigned from parliament in January to change into College of Canberra’s vice chancellor, stated Australia needed to “consider putting everything on the table to fight back”.

He stated the aggressive motion was needed due to the potential of future tariffs on new sectors, like the meat industry, with Australia’s US exports totalling about $16.5bn.

“I worry about the next sector and the next sector … At some stage we have to have to send a message to President Trump that if you do something to us, we’ll do it back,” he instructed Dawn.

“Australia might be a bit smaller than America, but we’re not a soft mark and we need to consider putting everything on the table to fight back.”

Though Mr Shorten stated the federal government, and Australia’s US Ambassador Kevin Rudd has been “doing a good job,” he stated the US must know Australia “means business”.

“I think all reasonable Australians will say at a certain point: ‘You push us, we push you.’ It’s as simple as that,” he stated.

“We mean business. We care about our jobs, as much as you care about your jobs, as much as you care about your jobs.

“Far better to stick to your agreement, stick to the road rules but if people don’t want to play by the rules, you gotta stand up and be counted.”

Talking to The Australian’s World Meals Discussion board on Friday, Commerce Minister Don Farrell stated he would proceed to make use of “calm, considered diplomacy to resolve all of our trade issues with the United States.

He said while retaliatory tariffs were “tempting,” he stated it could go towards Australia’s assist of free trading.

Notably, Australia additionally kept away from imposing tariffs after Beijing hit producers exhausting with high tariffs totalling $20bn on profitable imports like barley, rock lobster, beef and wine.

Senator Farrell stated this was proof “calm, persistent and quiet diplomacy pays off”, with the minister set to talk to his US counterpart Howard Lutnick on Monday (or Tuesday Australian time).

“Our approach working closely with industry has seen the return of every single product into China,” he stated.

“We’re also focused on opening new markets for Australian businesses producers and farmers,” he added flagging more offers with the United Arab Emirates, which he described because the “Woolies warehouse of the Middle East”.

Whereas Australia was granted exemptions in 2017, alongside different international locations together with Argentina and Brazil, Mr Trump’s second spherical of levies have been sweeping.