LIVE: Election campaign 2025 – Huge development in US tariff saga as Donald Trump considers deal with Australia

The US government has revealed it is considering trade deals with at least 15 countries following Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs.

‘We’ve had more than 15 deals, pieces of paper, put on the table – proposals that are actively being considered,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The specific nations who have offered the deals have not been confirmed by the US government, however, the Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is prioritising quick agreements with Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Trump previously slapped 25 per cent tarrifs on Australian steel and aluminium and more recently announced another round of 10 per cent tariffs, including on Australian beef.

‘They’re wonderful people but they ban American beef,’ Trump said.

‘Yet, we imported $3billion of Australian beef just last year alone. They won’t take any of ours. They don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers.

‘And you know what? I don’t blame them, but we’re doing the same thing right now.’

Aussie farmers have reacted with relief, however, with the 10 per cent tariffs not enough to shrink Australia’s record beef exports.

Anthony Albanese kicked off his day at a press conference in Melbourne with Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Mr Albanese drew parallels between Peter Dutton’s recent comments on Indonesia and Scott Morrison’s handling of China relations when he was in office – a period in which the communist superpower imposed huge tariffs on Australian goods.

‘China is responsible for actions which China took,’ Mr Albanese said.

‘But … some of the rhetoric which was given by the Australian government was not conducive towards having a constructive relationship.

‘The $20billion of trade impediments hurt Australians. It hurt the lobster industry in Geraldton, it hurt the barley industry in South Australia and the eastern states, it hurt the wine industry in Margaret River.

‘We have engaged diplomatically, where our approach to China is to cooperate where we can, to deal respectfully, to not dial things up to 11 at every opportunity.

‘To disagree where we must, and we do disagree on a range of issues, but we deal like adults.’

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is copping backlash over a TV interview in which he claimed the Albanese government dropped the ball on Russia attempting to base military aircraft near Darwin.

Mr Dutton made the alarming claims that Australia’s northern neighbour, Indonesia, had confirmed Russia wanted to move aircraft into their country.

That seemed to be news to the Indonesian government, however, who said it would never consider such a proposal.

‘There’s commentary I have seen reported from the Indonesian spokesperson,’ Mr Dutton told Patricia Karvalas on the ABC.

‘That obviously comes from the administration. There are reports of negotiations or discussions that have taken place between Russia and Indonesia.’

He claimed Foreign Minister Penny Wong and DFAT had made a ‘catastophic error’ if the plan was unknown to them.

Senator Wong responded this morning by saying that ‘Peter Dutton fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president’.

She said the Australian government had confirmed there was no such plan being considered.

‘Now, this is an extraordinary thing for a man who wants to be the prime minister to do – to actually try and verbal the president of Indonesia in order to make a domestic political point. He is simply too reckless and too aggro.

‘We engaged through the appropriate channels – that is, me to the foreign minister, the defence minister to the defence minister, as well as at diplomatic levels, and very quickly we gained the confirmation.’

Speaking in Melbourne this morning, Mr Albanese called Mr Dutton’s comments an ‘extraordinary overreach’.