<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>337983</docID> <postdate>2025-02-11 08:40:52</postdate> <headline>PM to make ‘same case’ for Australian tariff exemption</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-337984" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250210175372276898-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Anthony Albanese will plead Australia's case to the US president against tariffs being imposed. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Andrew Brown</strong> and <strong>Jacob Shteyman</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Australia's previous exemption from US-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium will be raised with Donald Trump, Â who's planning a blanket revival of the imposts.</strong></p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will speak to the US president later on Tuesday, AEDT, after Mr Trump on Monday threatened tariffs of 25 per cent on all steel and aluminium imports.</p> <p>The phone call, set up before the plan was revealed, will mark the first time the two leaders have spoken since Mr Trump was sworn in.</p> <p>Mr Trump imposed similar tariffs on steel and aluminium during his first term in office, but Australia was able to carve out an exemption.</p> <p>Government officials have been attempting to secure another exemption for Australian exports for months.</p> <p>Health Minister Mark Butler said Mr Albanese would make a clear pitch to the US president on why Australia should be exempted for a second time.</p> <p>"We'll be making the same case, the case hasn't changed.</p> <p>"We're a reliable partner to the US, our interests are deeply intertwined," he told Seven's Sunrise program on Tuesday.</p> <p>"The steel and aluminium that we send to the US feeds right into their supply chains and underpins well-paying jobs in America as well.</p> <p>"You can be confident our prime minister will be making the case strongly for an exception on tariffs."</p> <p>Resources Minister Madeleine King called for bipartisanship on the trade issue to ensure the best case was made to the Trump administration.</p> <p>"The prime minister will be acting in the best interests of all Australians when he has that conversation with President Trump," she told ABC Radio.</p> <p>"It's good for all sides of parliament to work together in relation to our relationship with the US, and I've no doubt that will continue."</p> <p>But Nationals senator Matt Canavan said Labor's decision to appoint ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd, who had previously made disparaging remarks about Mr Trump, as ambassador to the US was coming back to haunt the government.</p> <p>"It's a mess of the prime minister's own making," he told Nine's Today program.</p> <p>"He appointed Kevin Rudd after Kevin had made the injudicious comments about Donald Trump and having dug that hole, he needs to dig us out of it.</p> <p>'We shouldn't also panic either... they're not our biggest market for these products."</p> <p>But if Mr Trump followed through, it would have significant implications for Australian industry, Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable said.</p> <p>"These proposed tariffs set a concerning precedent," she said.</p> <p>"Action is needed now to ensure that trade restrictions do not expand to critical minerals and other resources that are vital to Australia's economic future and global supply chains."</p> <p>Free and open trade contributed to lifting Australians' quality of life and supported one in four jobs, Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said.</p> <p>"Australia has a good story to tell - the US has a trade surplus with us and we have long-standing cultural and military ties between countries, particularly with the significant AUKUS agreement," he said.</p> <p>Even if Australia fails to receive an exemption, the impacts to its economy are unlikely to be catastrophic.</p> <p>AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said it would be bad for Australian steel and aluminium producers but, with exports to the US at just 0.03 per cent of Australian GDP, the macro-economic impact would be minimal.</p> <p>The value of Australian exports of iron and steel to the US was $US237.5 million ($A378.5 million) in 2023, while aluminium exports totalled $US316.9 million ($A505 million), according to the United Nations COMTRADE database.</p> <p>Mr Trump is expected to make further announcements on the tariff issues on Tuesday or Wednesday.</p> </body>