Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he asked President Trump in a roughly 40-minute call to fully exempt Australia from a 12.5 percent US tariff imposed in July, or failing that restore the earlier 10 percent rate, and that Trump agreed to consider it. Albanese described the call as 'productive, constructive and substantial' and touted continued cooperation on critical minerals, AI and the AUKUS security pact.
Canberra disputes Washington's stated justification for the tariff, which cited forced-labor concerns in supply chains, saying there is 'no credible evidentiary basis' for it. Albanese says he pointed to Australia's anti-slavery measures and reminded Trump that the US has run a $442 billion trade surplus with Australia over the past two decades.
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