Australian exports to US slapped with ten per cent tariff in Trump’s “Liberation Day” address

US president Donald Trump has announced a ten per cent tariff on Australian exports to his country, “starting at midnight tonight”*, with barriers to US beef exports singled out in his justifications. In a “Liberation Day” address on Thursday morning (Australian time), the president said there would be a broad-ranging tariff on all Australian goods…

Manufacturing sector struggles continue in March amid uncertainty

Australian manufacturing conditions deteriorated further in March as political uncertainty and global trade disruptions weighed on business confidence, according to the latest Ai Group Australian Industry Index released on Tuesday. The Australian manufacturing PMI fell by 17.8 points to -29.7, deepening the sector’s contraction. This stands in contrast to the S&P Global Australia Manufacturing PMI,…

With Australian steel and aluminium set to incur US tariffs, global uncertainty will be our next challenge

By Lisa Toohey, UNSW Sydney “Unjustified” and “not the way that friends and allies should be treated”. That’s how Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have described the latest shot in United States President Trump’s trade war. Effective today, there is a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminium into…

Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, March 3 – March 7, 2025

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) “Make it here, ship it everywhere”: federal government announces $5 million for Australian Made The federal government has announced $5 million in new funding, which it says will make the Australian Made logo “more recognisable across the globe” and support new…

Act on “cheap imported products” or risk domino effect on building sector, housing supply: AGWA

The Australian Glass and Window Association (AGWA) has added to comments urging government action on cheap imports following the collapse of Australia’s only producer of architectural glass last week. In a statement on Thursday, AGWA said “serious consequences for Australia’s building sector and national housing supply targets” were risks unless more was done to shield…

Whether we carve out an exemption or not, Trump’s latest tariffs will still hit Australia

By Scott French, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated an exemption for Australia from Trump’s executive order placing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US is “under consideration”. But prospects remain uncertain. Albanese would do well to secure an exemption using similar arguments as…