Interview with Peter Stefanovic, First Edition

3 March 2025

PETER STEFANOVIC: Well, Donald Trump's top trade adviser has given Australia both barrels again by accusing us of dumping subsidised, below cost aluminium into the United States while raising an eyebrow at our close ties with China. Joining us live is the Shadow Finance Minister, Jane Hume. Jane, first of all, is Mr. Navarro right?

JANE HUME: Well, that's a very good question and not one that I can answer for you, Pete. But what I can say is that the Coalition wholeheartedly supports the government's efforts to make sure that these tariffs are not imposed by the US.They would have a detrimental effect on the Australian economy. We think it's profoundly important that we use all diplomatic ties to ensure that those tariffs that President Trump has suggested may well apply to Australian exports of aluminium and steel, do not go ahead. We know that the coalition, when in government, was able to negotiate with the Trump administration to ensure that Australia got an exemption. We would hope that the Albanese government will be able to do the same by using all of the relationships that it has at its disposal to do so.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Do you concede, though, or do you think things aren't looking good and the government itself appears to be readying itself for that with its language at the moment?

JANE HUME: Well, we would hope that the government will pull out all stops here in order to make sure that Australia's national interests, our economic interests, are protected. I do note that Anthony Albanese is the only member of the quad, which is one of our most important diplomatic relationships with the US that hasn't met directly with Donald Trump yet. Jim Chalmers has gone over and met with his counterparts, but I think we'd like to see all stops pulled out. Every diplomatic tie used in order to make sure that Australia gains that exemption.

PETER STEFANOVIC: But when you've got Mr. Navarro saying these kinds of things and, you know, the government kind of backtracking its language, I mean, are you worried about it? Are you worried about the fact that we might not get a carve out?

JANE HUME: Well, it's certainly not just me that's worried about it. Have we heard the Treasury Secretary last week express his concern about the potential impacts of a Trump tariff on aluminium and steel in Australia? We've also heard the Reserve Bank governor express her concern about what those impacts might be, which is why it is so important that this is a priority of the Albanese government, one that the coalition supports entirely. We would like to see very much a Team Australia approach to this, using every symbol, single diplomatic tie that we have in order to secure an exemption of tariffs for Australia.

PETER STEFANOVIC: So this question further to, a point that you were just saying. So the president has spoken rather glowingly of the United Kingdom, saying the US and the UK could get a real trade deal. His words. This came after their meeting at the white House last week, in which a state visit was offered by the King. So have we missed a trick by Anthony Albanese? Not personally going to see Donald Trump face to face?

JANE HUME: Well, that's a very good question. I do think we know that not just through the quad, not just through Aukus, but for a thousand reasons. the US is our most important strategic, you know, military and one of our most important economic ties. And for that reason, it's a relationship that we should be nurturing, not one that we should be ignoring. Every single stop should be pulled out in order to maintain and build on those relationships.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Do you think we'd have a better chance of a carve out if the Prime Minister had gone to Washington and had a face to face meeting with Donald Trump, rather than a conversation on the phone?

JANE HUME: Look, inevitably those person to person, one to one, face to face meetings do build deeper ties with our allies, and I think that there would have been some advantage in that. Perhaps that boat has sailed.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Do you think the US is a reliable partner?

JANE HUME: The US is an important not just reliable. It's such an important relationship. And it has been historically, you know...

PETER STEFANOVIC: Is it now?

JANE HUME: And Australia have worked alongside each other for decades, for mutual benefit, And it will be continue to be the most important relationship that we have in the future, which is why it is so important that we do absolutely everything in a bipartisan way to secure that relationship.

PETER STEFANOVIC: I know, but it's all about a relationship. It is about America first at the moment. And the new Trump administration is proving that it wants Europe to do more heavy lifting. And I'm sure it wants us to do more heavy lifting as well when it comes to military spending. So is it a reliable partner for us under this current administration?

JANE HUME: I was thrilled, I was really thrilled to hear that Marco Rubio make those commitments to the Aukus agreement to make say that the Aukus agreement was, in fact, going to be a blueprint for those bilateral and trilateral and multilateral partnership arrangements going forward for the US That's a really good sign, a commitment to Aukus, which is one of our most important, the most important strategic and military agreement that we have with both the UK and with the US is a good foundation, I think, for a very strong relationship, economic and strategic going forward.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Okay. We've got to go. Jane, thank you so much. We'll chat again soon.