Latest news with #JamesPaterson
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump flags huge tariff hike that will impact Australia
Australian exporters may be hit with tariffs of up to 20 per cent at the US border, after President Donald Trump flagged a hike in the baseline impost. On Monday, the US President suggested countries that do not negotiate separate trade deals would soon be hit with a new minimum tariff up to twice as high. 'We are going to be setting a tariff, for essentially the rest of the world, and that's what they're going to pay if you want to do business in the United States,' he told reports at a press conference at his luxury golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. Asked what the new rate would be, he answered: 'I would say it'll be somewhere in the 15 to 20 per cent range.' 'Probably one of those two numbers'. Trump floated broad-sweeping tariffs as a key election promise last year which, he claimed, would encourage more manufacturing firms to set up shop in the US. Australia is among the roughly 200 countries expected to be hit with the new baseline tariff despite its bilateral free-trade agreement with the US. Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson said the update shed new light on the need for the Australian Prime Minister to meet with Trump. 'I think there is enough evidence now in the public realm that we do have a problem in the bilateral relationship between Australia and the United States,' he told Sky News. 'It's more than 260 days since the president was elected, Anthony Albanese has still not sat down and met with him.' Mr Albanese sought to discuss the tariffs with Trump during their attendance at the G7 summit in Canada last month before the US President cut his trip short. Mr Peterson added it remained 'unclear' whether Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd had yet to meet with the White House administration since Trump was sworn in in January. 'I suspect we would know about it if he had, I suspect it would be all over social media if he had, so I think it's a reasonable inference now that there has been no meetings.' For its part, the Albanese government has restated its opposition to the tariffs but has downplayed what it says about the two country's relationships. 'We are a country that relies on trade, we are a country with a very high proportion of jobs that rely on trade,' Assistant Treasurer Dan Mulino told Sky News. 'That remains the position of this government. So, we would rather a situation in which the world doesn't go down the path of imposing tariffs. 'But what I can say is that Australia remains in a situation where we've got as good a deal as anybody, and we continue to engage with the US Government intensely on these matters.' A spokesperson for Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australia would continue to engage 'at all levels' to advocate for the removal of the tariffs. 'Our position is unchanged – any tariffs on Australian goods are unjustified and an act of economic self-harm,' they said. It comes only days after Australia lifted its ban on importing US beef - eliminating a key reason cited by the Trump administration for its tariff on Aussie goods. Mr Albanese insisted the move was the outcome of a review that had been underway for years, but Trump's officials have celebrated it as a win for the president.
AU Financial Review
2 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Paterson warns government not to put a handbrake on AI
Opposition finance spokesman James Paterson has issued a mea culpa over the Coalition's election pledge to gut the public service and signalled a more respectful relationship, while also making clear business has a role to play in government service delivery. Speaking at The Australian Financial Review Government Services Summit in Canberra on Tuesday, Paterson will also talk up the opportunities of artificial intelligence in the public service and warn Labor against bowing to union demands for restrictions on the technology.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pandas, tennis and a tour of the Great Wall: Anthony Albanese hits back at claims his China trip was 'indulgent'
Anthony Albanese has hit back at the Coalition over claims of 'indulgence' during his China trip, saying his rivals don't understand the importance of respect in diplomacy. The prime minister's itinerary has included retracing the steps of Gough Whitlam on the Great Wall of China, attending a tennis tournament and visiting a panda research centre in the southwestern city of Chengdu. Back home, the optics of visiting popular tourist sites attracted sniping from the Opposition. Coalition frontbencher James Paterson suggested the prime minister was enjoying himself too much. 'I do wonder whether a Gough Whitlam history tour on the Great Wall of China, whether a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas, and whether a hit of tennis is strictly necessary as part of a six-day visit to China, when there is so much else at stake in our other international relationships around the world,' he told Sky News on Thursday. 'And frankly, I have to say that some of this is starting to look a little bit indulgent.' Mr Albanese has himself been eager to draw links between his tour and those of former Labor prime ministers Whitlam and Bob Hawke, who also visited the giant pandas in 1986. What those and his visits achieved was building respect between Australia and China, which would in turn result in better economic and diplomatic outcomes, the PM said. 'Those pictures go to 27 million people, potentially, in Australia. They go to over a billion people in China,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Chengdu. 'And those billion people represent people who are increasingly rising up the income ladder and are potential tourists and therefore job creators in Australia. 'If James Patterson doesn't understand that, then he doesn't understand much. 'The Great Wall of China symbolises the extraordinary history and culture here in China, and showing a bit of respect to people never cost anything. You know what it does, it gives you a reward.' Mr Albanese's trip has been shorter on concrete outcomes than in previous years, when his resumption of dialogue with China saw $20 billion worth of Chinese trade sanctions lifted from Australian exports. But the welcome has been warmer and coverage from Chinese state media more effusive than at any time since before the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020. A few agreements to boost trade and tourism links have been reached. But the increased dialogue and co-operation in areas from green steel to medical technology were part of a gradual improvement in relations that would advance Australia's national interests, Mr Albanese said. 'You don't go from a position of where we were into absolute agreement on everything. That's not the goal.' Despite the improving mood, China and Australia still have many issues they disagree on. In meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, Mr Albanese raised concerns over China not providing advance notice of naval live-fire drills off Australia that forced commercial flights to divert. Meanwhile, Mr Li has voiced his dismay over Australia's stringent restrictions on foreign investment from China, imploring the Australian government not to treat Chinese firms unfairly. 'We have different political systems, but it has been constructive and has been an important step in the developing of our relationship,' Mr Albanese said.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Albo fires back on China trip claim
Anthony Albanese has hit back against the Coalition's criticism of his 'indulgent' trip to China, accusing them of 'constant negativity' and a failure to acknowledge the importance of Australia's 'most important trading partner'. Liberal frontbencher James Paterson earlier said the Prime Minister's six-day trip was 'starting to look a little bit indulgent,' which he described as 'a Gough Whitlam history tour on the Great Wall of China' and questioned whether 'a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas, and whether a hit of tennis is strictly necessary'. 'I hope it's not for the Prime Minister's personal enjoyment,' Senator Paterson told Sky News on Thursday. 'I mean, the appropriate time to do a nostalgic history tour of Labor Party mythology is after you retire, in your own time, at your own expense, not on the taxpayer dime.' Sussan Ley also said she was 'disappointed' Mr Albanese 'didn't get the assurances that he should' about circumnavigation of Chinese navy warships in Australia, or the live firing exercises which were done without advanced notice. Asked for his response to the comment during a press conference in the city of Chengdu, Mr Albanese rejected the claims. 'I think the opposition have got some issues they need to sort out within themselves, including over the relationship with China,' he told reporters. He said China was Australia's 'most important trading partner', with one in four Australian jobs dependent on the relationship, and reiterated the importance of a stable relationship. 'They've just had an election result because in part, they themselves have characterised it as their constant negativity' and said the trip had been 'very successful'. 'They need to stop looking for reasons to say they're against and decide what they're for.' Mr Albanese also described Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'warm and engaging' and said China was a 'confident,' 'creative' and 'dynamic' country. Mr Albanese said he wanted to see Australia and China establish a 'stronger relationship' with 'more agreement and less disagreement' over the next three years, while acknowledging the two countries had different political systems, cultures and values. 'We have different values. So we understand that,' he said. 'What I'd like to see is to be able to talk about those issues regularly, get as much agreement as possible, but understanding of where our nations are coming from, out of understanding, can come greater co-operation.' Speaking after the press conference, Coalition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said while it was important to show 'deference to your host,' he questioned the value of the trip. 'We have our prime minister there on a multi-day trip, a range of high-level meetings with very little in the way of outcomes that can be perceived back here home in Australia,' he told Sky News. 'At the same time, we've got drills occurring in Taipei for potential and perhaps eventual invasion by Chinese forces of Taiwan's territory there. 'There's a lot of water to go under the bridge, but I'm failing to see the benefits of what you've don, or what will come from this visit.'
News.com.au
17-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Anthony Albanese accused Coalition of 'constant negativity' snaps back at 'indulgent' China trip attack
Anthony Albanese has hit back against the Coalition's criticism of his 'indulgent' trip to China, accusing them of 'constant negativity' and a failure to acknowledge the importance of Australia's 'most important trading partner'. Liberal frontbencher James Paterson earlier said the Prime Minister's six-day trip was 'starting to look a little bit indulgent,' which he described as 'a Gough Whitlam history tour on the Great Wall of China' and questioned whether 'a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas, and whether a hit of tennis is strictly necessary'. 'I hope it's not for the Prime Minister's personal enjoyment,' Senator Paterson told Sky News on Thursday. 'I mean, the appropriate time to do a nostalgic history tour of Labor Party mythology is after you retire, in your own time, at your own expense, not on the taxpayer dime.' Sussan Ley also said she was 'disappointed' Mr Albanese 'didn't get the assurances that he should' about circumnavigation of Chinese navy warships in Australia, or the live firing exercises which were done without advanced notice. Asked for his response to the comment during a press conference in the city of Chengdu, Mr Albanese rejected the claims. 'I think the opposition have got some issues they need to sort out within themselves, including over the relationship with China,' he told reporters. He said China was Australia's 'most important trading partner', with one in four Australian jobs dependent on the relationship, and reiterated the importance of a stable relationship. 'They've just had an election result because in part, they themselves have characterised it as their constant negativity' and said the trip had been 'very successful'. 'They need to stop looking for reasons to say they're against and decide what they're for.' Mr Albanese also described Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'warm and engaging' and said China was a 'confident,' 'creative' and 'dynamic' country. Mr Albanese said he wanted to see Australia and China establish a 'stronger relationship' with 'more agreement and less disagreement' over the next three years, while acknowledging the two countries had different political systems, cultures and values. 'We have different values. So we understand that,' he said. 'What I'd like to see is to be able to talk about those issues regularly, get as much agreement as possible, but understanding of where our nations are coming from, out of understanding, can come greater co-operation.' Speaking after the press conference, Coalition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said while it was important to show 'deference to your host,' he questioned the value of the trip. 'We have our prime minister there on a multi-day trip, a range of high-level meetings with very little in the way of outcomes that can be perceived back here home in Australia,' he told Sky News. 'At the same time, we've got drills occurring in Taipei for potential and perhaps eventual invasion by Chinese forces of Taiwan's territory there. 'There's a lot of water to go under the bridge, but I'm failing to see the benefits of what you've don, or what will come from this visit.'
