Anthony Albanese asserts he won’t capitulate to President Donald Trump as the United States’ trade agency targets Australia’s subsidised medicine system, meat and fruit industries, and the updated media bargaining code for potential tariffs.
On Wednesday, US time, Trump is projected to announce a series of historic tariffs focused on boosting the superpower’s domestic industries. Earlier, the US Trade Representative’s office released its report on “foreign trade barriers” and highlighted several grievances, including Australia’s biosecurity measures on imports of US beef, pork, and poultry, the supply of generic drugs at lower prices without informing US patent holders, plans to reinforce laws requiring foreign social media companies to compensate Australian media for news, and intentions to increase local content quotas for streaming services.
Expressing concern that the report singled out the news bargaining incentive while raising questions about pharmaceuticals and Australia’s comprehensive biosecurity controls, Albanese declared that these three issues are not open to negotiation. Closing his remarks, he stated that weakening biosecurity laws is nonsensical and affirmed that Australia wouldn’t undermine its biosecurity standards or compromise on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and media bargaining code.
The US trade ambassador commended Trump for addressing “harmful foreign trade barriers” affecting US exporters and emphasized efforts to ensure fairness and support for American businesses and workers in the global market.
In response, the Australian government has pledged to contest US tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminium exports imposed in March as part of Trump’s global trade barriers against all nations.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/01/australia-us-trump-tariffs-albanese-biosecurity-medicine
