By Tom Crowley, ABC
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Photo: AFP / David Gray
Anthony Albanese will urge Australians to "buy local" in a pre-election attempt to galvanise voter anger at Donald Trump after the US president refused to exempt Australian steel and aluminium from his tariff regime.
Adamant that retaliating with "revenge" tariffs would simply fuel domestic inflation, the prime minister instead invoked "Team Australia" in a flurry of radio calls on Wednesday afternoon.
"Australians can have an impact by buying Australian goods," he told ABC Melbourne.
"Buy Bundy rather than some of the American products… you can make a difference."
Though Albanese stopped short of advocating an American boycott like those seen in Canada, his language echoed the Canadian government's parochial response to Trump, which had revived its flagging political fortunes.
Labor believed it could benefit from a milder version of that approach, according to senior sources who said next fortnight's budget would have an "Australian-made" focus.
The government is weighing how to harness its own considerable purchasing power to support local businesses, by ensuring more of them can win federal procurement contracts.
Those contracts were worth $100 billion in the last financial year, and Labor promised before the 2022 election that it would introduce new guidelines and streamline application processes to boost the representation of Australian suppliers.
That has not happened yet, but Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told Senate estimates in February progress was expected "very soon".
A procurement policy, alongside the existing Future Made in Australia industry investment scheme, could form part of a federal Labor bid to replicate the success of the "Made in WA" campaign many in the party believed was instrumental in the Cook Labor government's resounding re-election.
"We have [an] agenda that's very much about our economic resilience and making more things here in Australia," the PM told Melbourne's 3AW on Wednesday.
"What we need to do at times like this is have everyone back Team Australia."
Albanese accuses Dutton of choosing Trump over Australia
Labor seized on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's assertion that he could secure an exemption if he won government, accusing him of taking the side of the Trump administration.
Dutton said on Wednesday Albanese was "weak and incompetent" and should have made additional phone calls and a personal visit to Washington to lobby the Trump administration.
"This is hopeless… I just think the prime minister has let every Australian down," he said.
"The coalition government was able to negotiate an exemption largely because we were able to prosecute our argument more effectively than what Anthony Albanese can."
The government did not believe any additional conversations between the PM and Trump would have made a difference.
Trade Minister Don Farrell admitted on Wednesday he believed the Americans never intended to offer anyone an exemption.
That view was echoed by former US ambassador and Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos on Wednesday, and earlier in the week by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said he believed the officials surrounding Trump regretted giving Australia an exemption last time and were determined not to repeat it.
The PM accused Dutton of being "opportunistic".
"He should be backing Australia rather than backing the Trump administration," he told Sydney's 2GB.
"He never takes an opportunity to actually show that he's an adult and is fit to be the alternative prime minister… he knows that every single country in the world has been subject to this".
Labor minister Ed Husic, who said the tariffs were a "dog act after over a century of friendship", accused the coalition of "rubbing their hands at the misfortune of the country".
Dutton said he believed he could "do a deal" with the Trump administration.
"There's no question about that. We've got a lot to offer, not just in the defence material space, but obviously in financial services…" he said.
"We will be a strong government that stands up for our national interests, that fights for our national interests and stands up for Australians."
The PM and other Labor ministers said they would continue to work for an exemption, noting the Turnbull government took nearly a year to secure one.
"We will continue to put forward a very strong case for exemption… we'll continue to engage constructively," Albanese said.
- ABC
