Australian welding body calls for sovereign manufacturing in response to Trump tariffs

Weld Australia has urged Australian governments to strengthen domestic manufacturing instead of retaliatory tariffs, following US President Donald Trump’s controversial new global import duties.

Geoff Crittenden, Weld Australia CEO, warned Trump’s sweeping tariff regime will create “untold misery and uncertainty” for developing nations while destabilising global trade, pointing to the punishing 50 per cent tariff on Lesotho’s diamond exports

“This isn’t just a bad day for trade—it’s a disaster for global equity,” said Crittenden. “Poor nations like Lesotho, who have no electricity or running water, and Madagascar, where three-quarters of the population lives in poverty, are now being hit with sky-high tariffs simply for trying to participate in the global economy.”

Rather than following the US into a “trade war spiral,” the industry body called for a nation-building approach focused on local capability.

“There’s nothing in World Trade Organization (WTO) rules that says we can’t buy from our own backyard. We don’t need tariffs—we just need to choose Australian steel and Australian fabrication,” Crittenden said.

The organisation highlighted Australia’s continuing steel production and fabrication industries as strategic advantages that could meet domestic demand for infrastructure ranging from renewable energy projects to roads, gas plants, and submarines.

“Australia has the demand. We have the choice. So, let’s make the right one,” Crittenden added. “We can either hand our infrastructure pipeline over to overseas suppliers, or we can rebuild our sovereign capability and create wealth and jobs right here at home.”

Weld Australia represents welding professionals and companies across Australia and serves as the country’s representative to the International Institute of Welding.

Picture: credit William M. Plate Jr/USAF