Anthony Albanese has been branded as ‘out of his depth’ for failing to secure an Australian exemption to Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs, sparking fears for the future of the $300billion AUKUS partnership.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton lashed the Prime Minister’s lack of skill in lobbying the US President during a fiery rant on the Today show on Thursday.
‘He’s out of his depth – and I completely and utterly disagree with the decision President Trump’s made,’ the Opposition leader said.
‘The prime minister can’t even get a call, let alone arrange a meeting with the president. It just shows that the prime minister doesn’t have the gravitas or the ability to deal with the big issues that our country faces.’
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Australia would not be be spared from the 25 per cent tariffs despite intense lobbying by the Albanese government.
Mr Albanese slammed the move as ‘entirely unjustified’ and ‘disappointing’ given he had what he termed a ‘highly constructive’ call with Trump last month.
The prime minister insisted he had ‘mobilised everything at our disposal’ to secure a follow-up call with the US leader to plead Australia’s case but to no avail.
But both party leaders remain united on one front: the tariff snub should not threaten the procedure of the AUKUS submarine deal.
Australia will not be exempt from Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium
The trilateral security agreement will see Australia receive eight nuclear-powered submarines by the early 2030s (pictured is two Australian Collins class submarines)
Mr Dutton was quizzed by Karl Stefanovic if it was time to rethink the enormously expensive deal with a nation that was not prepared to make any concessions to Australia on a key trade deal.
‘The Prime Minister rightly points out, we live in the most precarious period since the end of the Second World War,’ Mr Dutton answered.
‘I believe strongly that it’s in our mutual best interest, the United States and Australia, for AUKUS to work, and it’s not just the submarines.
‘And if it falls over on this government’s watch, that would be a catastrophe… And it’s unimaginable that the prime minister could stuff this up as well.’
Mr Albanese was unmoved when a listener on ABC radio suggested cancelling the agreement to save Australia $300billion was a ‘no brainer’.
‘We’re not doing it as a favour. We’re doing it as a way of best defending our island continent,’ he said.
Mr Albanese said AUKUS remains ‘a good deal for Australia’, highlighting its geographic importance.
‘When you have an island continent located where we are, then it makes sense to invest in your navy,’ he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says AUKUS is a way of ‘best defending our island continent’
‘And the best form of of naval assets is submarines, and that is why we have gone down that route.’
The trilateral security agreement will see Australia receive eight nuclear-powered submarines by the early 2030s but all the money paid will largely flow to US and UK military contractors.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier warned Australia can’t rely on Donald Trump to take military action against China if that nation were to attack our shores.
‘Mr Trump has made it very clear, it’s part of his brand, part of his style, to be less predictable and he has certainly been prepared to take on allies,’ Mr Turnbull said.
Australia spends just two per cent of gross domestic product on defence, well below the American level of 3.5 per cent of GDP.
But the budget is expected to rise to 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2034, in line with current spending by the UK and ahead of France and China.
