<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>341705</docID> <postdate>2025-04-03 09:12:42</postdate> <headline>Trump tariffs slide into Australia’s election campaign</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-341706" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250312183998602480-original-1-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>The election campaign is set to be dominated by tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Andrew Brown</strong> and <strong>Kat Wong</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Donald Trump has inserted himself into the federal election campaign after slapping tariffs on 10 per cent on Australian exports to the United States.</strong></p> <p>The US president announced the sweeping round of tariffs as part of his so-called "Liberation Day" on Thursday morning, Australian time, including reciprocal duties on all countries.</p> <p>A tariff of 10 per cent is the minimum the US will impose and is arguably a better outcome than Australia had expected given an outright exemption was looking very unlikely and many countries got hit far higher rates.</p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are set to respond to the measures, which will come into effect in hours, on the campaign trail on Thursday.</p> <p>Mr Albanese has previously flagged Australia could make a complaint to the global umpire, the World Trade Organisation.</p> <p>It comes as Mr Albanese met with Australian golfing great Greg Norman, who is in the orbit of Mr Trump, on Wednesday night in Melbourne.</p> <p>"We're prepared for all possibilities going forward," Mr Albanese told reporters on Wednesday.</p> <p>The prime minister had previously said Australia would not compromise on its biosecurity arrangements or pharmaceutical deals in exchange for reduced tariffs.</p> <p>Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard said tariffs offered pitfalls for both leaders on the campaign trail.</p> <p>"It's a zero-sum game," Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard told AAP.</p> <p>"Anytime the major parties talk about this, they risk getting other people offside."</p> <p>Mr Dutton, for example, could lean on the Liberal Party's connections and broad political alignment with the US Republicans to claim he could get on the phone with the president.</p> <p>"(However) any time Dutton talks about his relationship with Trump, it frames the Liberals as worryingly close to Trump," Dr Sheppard said.</p> <p>On the other hand, Labor could be blamed for failing to prevent the president's first round of tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports.</p> <p>The fact that no country has scored a US tariff exemption could play into the government's favour, Dr Sheppard said.</p> <p>Mr Dutton has argued he is a stronger leader than the prime minister and would be better placed to advocate for Australia's national interest.</p> <p>"I don't care whether it's President Trump or any other world leader, my job is to stand up for Australians, and I have the strength and the experience to be able to do that," he said on Wednesday.</p> <p>The opposition leader will campaign in Western Australia on Thursday while Mr Albanese will begin his day in Melbourne.</p> </body>