Anthony Albanese has spoken to Cairns radio 4CA about the tariff ‘pause’ Trump has given nations (who are now inline with the baseline 10% that Australia received originally).

On the tariffs, Albanese said:

This is an act of economic self harm from the United States that has hurt its economy, which is why we’ve had a change overnight from President Trump. But it’s also having an impact on the global economy. These tariffs are totally unwarranted.

My Government will always stand up for Australia’s national interest and that includes defending our biosecurity regime. The truth is, of course, that our beef is the best in the world.

We’re not frightened of competing with other countries because we just are much better at it. We have a number of local advantages, of course, in that, and that’s why it’s so much not the act of a friend, what we’ve seen from the United States.

And overnight we’ve seen this change. What it does is show how important it is that my Government have continued to engage in a considered, adult, mature way, including with the Trump administration.

We didn’t reach for any panic buttons. We got the best deal in the world. But we continue to say that what we want and what we expect is for goods to come into Australia at zero. That’s what we’re delivering. And we want our goods to go into the United States at zero because that’s what our free trade agreement says should occur.

And the relationship is a really important one. I mean, some of the decisions that have been made, of course, Norfolk Island, 29 per cent, a rather bizarre decision about Heard and McDonald Islands, which is only inhabited by penguins, I’m not sure what they trade. It is a very uncertain world that we live in and that is why I’m absolutely certain now is not a time for cuts. Now is not a time for chaos. Now is not a time for inexperienced people coming into government. Now is the time for us to have a steady hand on the ship of state.