Trade Minister Don Farrell says meeting with US Trade Rep Jamieson Greer was ‘friendly,’ not ‘difficult’

Trade Minister Don Farrell has detailed the discussion he had with his US counterpart Jamieson Greer, revealing he had the “greatest confidence” in Anthony Albanese during an expected meeting with Donald Trump next weekend.

Senator Farrell spoke to the US Trade Representative while in Paris last week and characterised the talk as “friendly”.

Despite this, he maintained the tariffs were “simply unjustified”, highlighting Australia’s trade surplus with the US.

Figures indicate Australia buys about $70bn worth of goods from the US, compared to the $30bn of exports Australia sells to America.

“It wasn’t a difficult discussion in terms of the relationship between us, and I am certainly of the view that we have the opportunity to continue to talk with Jamieson and Commerce Secretary Lutnick to put our case across,” he said.

Senator Farrell also said he was still determined to get the trade barriers slashed.

“It’s only by open discussion, honest discussion, with our allies in the United States that I think we can do that, but I certainly haven’t given up on the prospect of getting these tariffs removed,” he said.

“And every opportunity I get, I’ll continue to pursue that argument with the United States.”

However, Senator Farrell said the decision will be ultimately made by Donald Trump, putting increased pressure on Mr Albanese’s upcoming meeting with the US President.

He said that while there were a “range of ways” in which Australia communicates with the US, the “most important … relationship between our prime minister and the president of the United States”.

“Look every meeting, I think, between an Australian Prime Minister and the US president will always be a critical meeting and I have the greatest confidence in our prime minister to push the Australian point of view on this.”

The trade barriers on Australian imports to the US currently include a 50 per cent levy on steel, a 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and a blanket 10 per cent on other goods.

The Coalition’s finance spokesman James Paterson said there was “no reason” Australia shouldn’t be able to secure an exemption, given that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer negotiated a carveout for its steel imports by scrapping tariffs on some US beef and ethanol.

Senator Paterson said that Sir Starmer “proves that it is possible to get an exemption”.

“It is not an impossible task. And what we ask and expect of the Prime Minister is that he put our best foot forward, that he makes those arguments,” he told the ABC.

“I think that would have been much easier if, like Keir Starmer, the Prime Minster had made the effort to go and meet the President earlier than he has now.

“It’s seven months on since the President was elected, and other world leaders like Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have made the trip to the United States and have met with the President multiple times in multiple forums. The Australian Prime Minister has not yet done so.”

While Mr Albanese maintained he won’t compromise on Australia’s biosecurity, he hinted Australia could review current settings which don’t allow the US to import beef which originates from Canada and Mexico.

Mr Albanese has also ruled out changes to the Pharmaceuticals Benefit Scheme, News Media Bargaining code and incoming ban on social media for under-16s, while highlighting Australia’s critical minerals industry as a potential bargaining chip.

“If things can be sorted out in a way that protects our biosecurity – of course, we don’t just say no, we don’t want imports in here for the sake of it,” he told ABC radio on Friday.

“But our first priority is biosecurity and there’ll be no compromise on that.”

Mr Albanese said Australia would not have a “subservient relationship to any nation”.

“We’re a sovereign nation that stand on our own two feet,” he said.

Senator Farrell also said he was “confident” Australia can secure a new trade deal with the European Union, with EU President Ursula von der Leyen expected to visit Australia in July or August.

“We’ve got lots of things that we can sell to the to the Europeans. I believe now that there’s an appetite to reach an agreement on both sides,” he said.

“The world has changed, those countries that believe in free and fair trade have to work together.”