Anthony Albanese has hit back at the Trump administration, saying its concerns about Australian policies are ‘not up for negotiation’.
The key issues the US is attempting to influence with the threat of tariffs include pharmaceuticals, biosecurity and the news media bargaining code.
But Mr Albanese said while campaigning in South Australia on Tuesday morning that ‘those issues are not up for negotiation from the Australian government’.
‘We will defend Australia’s interests. The idea that we would weaken biosecurity laws is like cutting off your nose to spite your face,’ he said.
‘In order to defend the exports that total less than 5 per cent of Australia’s exports, you would undermine our biosecurity system. Not on my watch.
‘I have very clearly indicated Australia is not negotiating over the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We are not negotiating over the news bargaining code. We will not undermine our biosecurity.’
New 25 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium exported to the US came into effect on March 12 – but Trump is set to impose additional tariffs of up to 25 per cent on agriculture and pharmaceutical imports into the US on Wednesday.
It has sparked a new round of negotiations with Australia, which is trying to secure an exemption.
Anthony Albanese has hit back at the Trump administration, saying its concerns about Australia are ‘not up for negotiation’
The Australian policies that Trump is attempting to influence with the threat of tariffs include pharmaceuticals, biosecurity and the news media bargaining code
American drug manufacturers have expressed concern about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) undermining the wholesale prices they would have otherwise been able to charge chemists.
Trump may try to force Australia to review the scheme, threatening the future of cheap medicines.
But Mr Albanese made clear on Tuesday that the PBS would be off the table in any talks.
He has also refused to budge on Australia’s biosecurity system, as American meat producers bemoan the cost of selling to Australia, and a news bargaining code requiring digital platforms to pay to share news stories.
The Prime Minister suggested he had yet to speak to Trump on the phone again because the two countries had yet to reach an agreement.
The PBS is one of the pillars of Labor’s election campaign, with Mr Albanese promising to slash the maximum cost of prescription medicine under the scheme to $25.
