Australia politics live: Littleproud questions whether Rudd is best choice to negotiate exemption to new Trump tariffs on steel, aluminium
Littleproud questions whether Rudd is best choice to negotiate exemption to new Trump tariffs on steel, aluminium
Nationals leader David Littleproud questions whether Australia’a ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, is best placed to carve out Australia from any tariffs on steel and aluminium. He tells Sky News:
We wish Kevin [Rudd] every success. This is important to the Australian economy, so we’ve got to be upfront, honest with ourselves. But if we, if someone else should be undertaking those negotiations, discussions they should and the government should be prepared. It shouldn’t be about ego.
Littleproud says tariffs placed on all nations will have implications for Australia.
It’s important we encourage and use our bodies in the world to encourage all countries to adhere by that because tariffs will not benefit anybody.
Key events
Staying with Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariff plans, here is video footage of the moment of the US president made the announcement:
A quick look at today’s weather, and the Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
In NSW, heavy to intense rainfall and flash flooding is possible with a slow moving, very dangerous thunderstorm near Horsely Park and Liverpool in Sydney, the bureau says.
On the South Coast of NSW, heavy rainfall is expected in Batemans Bay, Eden, Bega, Moruya and Merimbula this afternoon and overnight, the bureau says. Storms may bring further heavy falls.
In Victoria, a severe thunderstorm warning is in place for parts of Gippsland. Periods of heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding are possible in Sale, Maffra, Bairnsdale, Orbost, Buchan and Mallacoota, the bureau says.
US steel tariffs to affect ‘everybody’, says Trump
Let’s go back to Air Force One, where Donald Trump told reporters he’d be placing tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Here’s what the US president said:
We’ll also be announcing steel tariffs on Monday.
Asked whom the tariffs would affect, Trump said “everybody”:
Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff.
Also asked whether the tariffs would cover aluminium, Trump replied:
Aluminium too … 25%, for both.
Before that, Trump said he’ll also be putting in place “reciprocal” tariffs for countries that place tariffs on US goods. On that he said:
If they are charging us 130% and we’re charging them nothing, it’s not going to stay that way … It won’t affect everybody because there’s some where we have similar tariffs but the ones that are taking advantage of the United States, we’re going to have reciprocity.
Katy Gallagher threatens to guillotine debate in the Senate
Finance minister Katy Gallagher has threatened to try to push through several pieces of legislation, including for tax credits this morning.
It’s in response to Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam wanting move a motion to bring on a different bill – the defence service homes amendment (insurance) bill 2025 – to skip debate this morning on the production tax credits.
It won’t get up, because neither Labor nor the Greens will support it.
Labor’s really keen to get their tax credits bill up this week, and they’re pinning it as a policy that’s good for WA (a crucial state they need to hold in the next election). Gallagher says
It’s anti-WA, you shouldn’t be playing games like this, and if you’d like to, I’m happy to move a motion to have all of these pieces of legislation dealt with.
You might remember the government put forward a guillotine motion at the end of last year, in the final sitting week, to pass dozens of pieces of legislation in one day.
Andrew Wilkie pushes for whistleblower reform
In the house this morning, independent MP Andrew Wilkie is presenting a bill to protect whistleblowers
The bill is also supported by independents Helen Haines, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, and would establish a body with the power to oversee and enforce whistleblower protections.
Speaker, Richard Boyle revealed information about appalling misconduct, within the ATO, information which has found to be true. And it is he who is facing prison time.
This is just baffling. Speaking clearly, we desperately need to reform our whistleblowing laws. Clearly, the public interest disclosure act in particular, as well as the whistleblower protections in the corporations act need to be completely overhauled.
He says despite the government putting in place a federal watchdog, more needs to be done to protect those who speak out about corruption.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian premier reiterates support for Suburban Rail Loop
Back to that interview on the ABC Radio Melbourne with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, she was asked about the group of Labor MPs within caucus who are urging a shift of investment away from the Suburban Rail Loop to local projects.
She says her “door is always open” to feedback but the Suburban Rail Loop remains a “critically important” project for the state. She said:
My colleagues and I are fully supportive of getting on and delivering the Suburban Rail Loop. And let’s remember why this is important. We’re getting a train line to Monash University … It means that more young kids can pursue the course of their dreams, because they can get there on a train line. It’s not fair that they are cut off from that opportunity because they can’t afford to move or they can’t afford to get there with a car.
It also is a housing project, and my colleagues and I, as we’ve been focused on for some time now, we’ve got to build more homes, and the right place to build them is right next to train stations.
The bells are ringing! Parliament is sitting.
This morning in the Senate, Leah Blythe, who will replace former shadow foreign affairs minister Simon Birmingham, has been sworn in.
And at midday we’ll be hearing from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on the latest Closing the Gap announcements.
Benita Kolovos
Continuing from our last post…
Asked what she thinks has contributed to Labor’s primary vote falling from 45% to 28.7%, Jacinta Allan blames the cost-of-living crisis.
We’ve had many interest rate rises since [2022], and the inflationary pressures at the supermarket, at the petrol station, when you’re going to get your kids back to school, they haven’t really gone away. We also know from listening to people that wages growth hasn’t kept up with the cost of living. So there’s a range of factors here.
Allan says not only does the government need to “do more” – they need to do things “differently”.
We’ve had a really rough time in recent years as a community, as a society, [during] the global pandemic … what we used to know as normal, family life, work life, society has changed. The other thing that followed really quickly was the interest rate rises and the huge inflationary pressures that haven’t gone away. They’re still there today.
So we have to do both. We have to do more to support particularly working people and their families at this tough time. But we also have to look at what we can change, what we can improve, what we can build on.
‘We have more to do’: Victorian premier
Benita Kolovos
Leaving the tariffs for a moment, earlier this morning, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was on ABC Radio Melbourne as she awaits the byelection result in Werribee.
Counting paused on Sunday but Labor’s once-comfortable margin in the outer western seat has gone from 10.9% at the 2022 state election to a razor-thin 0.6%.
Asked about the result, she told host Raf Epstein:
We know byelections are an opportunity for communities to make sure their voice is being heard, and it’s been well and truly heard. That’s never been more truer than in a global cost of living crisis, Raf, when we know that so many people are hurting … People are looking for their governments to help. They’re looking for their governments to do more, and that’s certainly what we’ve been doing, but I certainly understand that we have more to do to support families who are hurting.
Opposition calls on Kevin Rudd to secure exemption to Trump’s new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports
Josh Butler
Shadow trade minister Kevin Hogan says the Labor government must move more strongly to seek exemptions from Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs.
“It is time critical the Labor government ensures an exemption for Australia,” Hogan said in a statement.
When we were in government during President Trump’s first administration, there were the threats of tariffs on aluminium and steel. We were able to successfully have Australia exempted from these tariffs back then and the current government must get the same result.
Hogan pointed to the Turnbull government’s work in securing tariff carve-outs in 2017 in Trump’s first term.
A critical component was a strong ambassador – we had Ambassador Hockey who helped Australia to successfully negotiate exemptions from United States steel and aluminium tariffs. The ambassador to the US is one of the most critical diplomatic roles Australia has. Albanese handpicked Kevin Rudd for this position. Albanese and Rudd have a big job to do here,
Prime minister Albanese and Ambassador Rudd have a big job on this issue. I hope they are up to it.
Littleproud questions whether Rudd is best choice to negotiate exemption to new Trump tariffs on steel, aluminium
Nationals leader David Littleproud questions whether Australia’a ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, is best placed to carve out Australia from any tariffs on steel and aluminium. He tells Sky News:
We wish Kevin [Rudd] every success. This is important to the Australian economy, so we’ve got to be upfront, honest with ourselves. But if we, if someone else should be undertaking those negotiations, discussions they should and the government should be prepared. It shouldn’t be about ego.
Littleproud says tariffs placed on all nations will have implications for Australia.
It’s important we encourage and use our bodies in the world to encourage all countries to adhere by that because tariffs will not benefit anybody.
Australia hoping to avoid US steel and aluminium tariff
Josh Butler
The federal government is still making representations to the United States for Australia to avoid tariffs on exports like steel and aluminium, as Donald Trump announces 25% import duties on those goods this morning.
We’ve reached out to trade minister Don Farrell’s office for comment on Trump’s latest announcement. Farrell and his colleagues have been seeking to make Australia’s case to avoid such tariffs in 2025, which the then Turnbull government was able to do in Trump’s first term; Guardian Australia understands that remains the case, and senior government members have been making representations for Australia to not be hit with tariffs.
Defence minister Richard Marles has been in the US over the weekend meeting with senior Trump administration officials. However Farrell has said publicly that his mission has been made a little harder because his US trade counterpart hasn’t been confirmed.
Anthony Albanese said last week he wouldn’t engage in a “running commentary” on every Trump proposal, so we might not hear a lot about the government’s response to the steel and aluminium tariffs until there’s a concrete move from the US government.
Guardian Australia revealed last week that Australian officials grappled with the incoming US president’s “unclear” trade proposals in the wake of his election victory.
Donald Trump announces 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports
Donald Trump told reporters in the US he’ll impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, on top of existing metal duties.
Trump, during his first term, imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium, but later granted several trading partners duty-free quotas, including Australia, when Malcolm Turnbull was prime minister.
We’ve sought comment from the trade minister Don Farrell and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Donald Trump announces 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports
We’ll bring you more details on that as we get them.
Hume accuses Labor of $11bn budget hole in public service spending
Shadow finance minister Jane Hume says the government has an $11bn hole in its budget, following analysis it commissioned from the parliamentary budget office (PBO) on public service spending.
Hume says the numbers from the mid-year budget update in December show the government is budgeting for a public service that will decrease by more than 20,000 personnel in over four years from the current level of 209,150. She told Sky News:
We noticed when we were looking at the Myefo numbers in December that public sector wages flatlined over the next four years. Now that’s despite an increase of the public service of around 36,000. That’s a 20% increase an an 11% pay rise that ws signed off by Katy Gallagher.
Hume was also asked about the Victorian byelection results.
Though Labor suffered a significant swing, just 4% of that went to the Liberal party in the seat of Werribee, but Hume says there was “a message loud and clear” for Labor.
There is no time for complacency, no opportunity for complacency here… let’s face it, we’ve got a brand new leader down there. Brad Battin has only been in the hot seat for a few weeks, but clearly his message is beginning to resonate.
Coalition minister responds to government’s pricing guarantees
On the government’s commitment to guarantee lower prices for essentials in remote Indigenous communities, Coalition shadow minister Kerryanne Liddle says the current pricing is “outrageous”.
The shadow minister for child protection and the prevention of family violence was speaking to ABC News Breakfast and says she’s seen the disparity between prices in cities and remote areas.
But she won’t promise a Coalition government would also issue price guarantees for essentials.
I’ve done the pricing when I’ve been in those remote communities, it is outrageous that non-perishable items like Band-Aids, home brand Band-Aids, are several dollars more in a remote community than in a surrounding community like Alice Springs … We need to ask what is happening in these organisations that run these stores, one of the problems is we haven’t tackled governance.
‘What are we getting back?’: Lambie
While the government should be able to pass its production tax credits legislation this week, independent senator Jacqui Lambie wants to see some pretty significant changes.
She’s on Sky News asking what the public will get out of handing companies thousands of dollars in tax credits.
What are we getting back? Why aren’t we taking equity shares in these companies and actually feeding that back into health and education? We still want to talk about that up here, but seriously, we need to take some ownership here.
Lambie is also asked about the byelection results in Victoria, and its federal implications. She says it shows Australians are looking for options other than the two major parties.
I think the people have had about a gut full of the major parties … I think people are looking for options.
She also says in her state of Tasmania, both Liberal and Labor held seats will be up for grabs.
