The United States expects to finalise trade deals with more Southeast Asian countries in the coming months, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says.

Greer was speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the start of a meeting with economic ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, amid concerns within the export-reliant bloc over the impact of US tariffs on their economies. 

Tariff rates have been set at 19 per cent and 20 per cent for most of the region. 

Laos and Myanmar have been hit with a 40 per cent rate, while Singapore has a 10 per cent tariff.

Greer said talks with respective countries on the levies had been progressing well, resulting in some deals being announced while others will be finalised “in the coming months or even weeks, for some”.

The United States has said it had reached agreements with Indonesia and Vietnam on tariffs, though the countries say they are still finalising terms. 

Vietnam, the world’s sixth-largest exporter to the United States, risks losing $US25 billion ($A38 billion) annually as a result of the 20 per cent tariff imposed on its goods, which would make it the worst-hit economy in the region, according to estimates released by the United Nations Development Programme. 

In a joint statement dated on Tuesday, ASEAN economic ministers noted “adverse impact and uncertainty” arising from the tariff landscape and warned of slower regional trade performance in the second half of 2025, due to the front-loading of exports before the tariffs’ imposition in the earlier part of the year.

The ministers also expressed concern over rising protectionism and unilateral trade measures, which they say “pose significant risks to the multilateral trading system and the stability of global supply chains”.

In his remarks, Greer said the United States welcomed trade with ASEAN but it must be “balanced and reciprocal”.

“We believe that there are many areas where our interests align, and we can work together to achieve shared goals of bringing reciprocity and balance to the global trading system,” he said.

Wednesday marked Greer’s first meeting with the ASEAN bloc, whose members have largely engaged in separate negotiations with the United States on the issue of tariffs.

But the grouping might be driven to take a more unified position amid risks of steeper sectoral tariffs on industries such as semiconductors, a significant contributor to economies such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

US President Donald Trump said in August he would set a tariff of about 100 per cent on semiconductors, but it would not apply to companies that are manufacturing in the United States or have committed to do so.

A tax policy pitting state against state is being reviewed to ensure value for money.

The carve-up of revenue from the goods and services tax has been a sticking point between states ever since the Morrison government gave Western Australia a special deal in 2018.

The mining powerhouse gets much more GST income than it would under other ways of dividing the money. Other states claim the arrangement is unfair and now the federal Productivity Commission has been brought in.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the commission’s inquiry will look at whether the current policy is good value.

“This work will ensure we have the best possible system to pay for the schools, hospitals and essential services Australians need and deserve,” he said in a statement.

The commission has been asked to investigate whether the current rules are financially sustainable for state and commonwealth governments, and whether alternatives would deliver a better result.

It will deliver its final report by the end of 2026, with an interim report due by late August.

Under the 2018 reforms, all states are guaranteed 75 cents from every dollar of GST. 

WA was the only jurisdiction to benefit from the changes, and has since received $24 billion more than it would have otherwise.

Other states were given a guarantee they would not be left worse-off, costing the federal government tens of billions of dollars more.

WA’s government is now setting up a task force to defend its GST share, dubbed the “fairness fighter” team.

State Treasurer Rita Saffioti said she would push hard to keep the existing arrangements, claiming the WA economy helped subsidised the rest of the nation.

“Without that (GST) deal, Western Australia would not be able to afford the economic infrastructure or policies that continue to drive our economy and also drive new projects,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

“We know there are some economic commentators over east who want to pull down this deal,” she said.

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has long complained about the Morrison government’s changes, describing the current arrangements as a “weird system that no one can understand, let alone explain, much less support”.

“We will argue strongly that the entire federation will be better off if we can fix a busted system,” he said in a statement.

All low-emissions power options, including nuclear, should be on the table to capture what the head of a data centre company views as an AI-fuelled data storage opportunity for Australia.

NEXTDC chief executive officer Craig Scroggie says artificial intelligence and cloud computing are driving massive demand for data centres and Australia is well-placed to be a regional heavyweight if it can solve the “energy trilemma”.

“We need clean power, we need firm power, we need cheap power,” he said at The Australian Energy Nation Forum.

“In order for a modern economy to thrive, we have to solve the energy trilemma.”

The electricity-intensity of training and deploying AI models has been well-documented and was flagged as a challenge by the nation’s independent climate body, the Climate Change Authority, in its advice to the federal government on new emissions reduction targets.

Data centres could account for more than 10 per cent of Australia’s electricity use by 2035, Bloomberg modelling has projected.

Mr Scroggie believes Australia has the land and renewables resources to pursue a bigger data centre industry and should keep the door open to “everything” to power them without burdening climate goals, including nuclear power.

“I would look to my customer to give me advice,” he said, referring to the big tech companies pursuing nuclear energy, including a deal signed by Microsoft to restart the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.

Nuclear power energy has been banned in Australia since the late 1990s.

The federal opposition took a plan to build seven plants to the last election, which they lost to Labor in a convincing defeat.

Federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres represented the government at the forum, where he spruiked plans to clean up industry under recently-announced national targets to slash emissions by 62-70 per cent by 2035.

“Industrial products like iron and steel, made using Australian energy processed here in Australia, are delivering emissions reductions for our industrial partners,” he said on Wednesday.

“That is an unmissable Australian opportunity.”

Senator Ayres would not be drawn on the future of power prices for businesses and households under a grid dominated by renewables.

“What the government does here matters in terms of the shape of the market in the future, and we’ve had 30 years of backwards and forwards,” he said.

Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien, formerly the opposition’s energy and climate spokesperson, took aim at the economic modelling underpinning the 2035 climate targets. 

He said the federal government had not adequately weighed up the costs of acting to cut emissions against the economic burden of of floods, fires and other impacts of unchecked climate change.

“Either the Labor Party hasn’t done that, or they’ve done it, and it’s so bad that they won’t show the Australian people.”

The opposition remains in internal turmoil on climate policy, with some members pushing to ditch net zero entirely.

Australia’s agricultural output is expected to reach $100 billion ahead of schedule, but the target’s relevance has been questioned against the backdrop of global and domestic challenges.

The target was set in 2020 and the nation has just over four years to hit it, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins says it is already within reach.

“With Australia exporting now around 80 per cent of our agriculture, fisheries and forestry production to more than 169 markets globally, this is the most diversified our agriculture trade has ever been,” Ms Collins told the AgXchange conference on the Gold Coast on Wednesday.

The $100 billion mark was expected to be exceeded in the current financial year, figures from federal agriculture forecaster ABARES show.

But the target measures value and does not account for costs to farmers.

Asked whether a net value target would be more appropriate, albeit “less sexy”, Ms Collins said the government’s focus was ensuring access to diversified global markets.

“Whether it’s $100 billion or $150 billion or whatever it might be, what we need to do is make sure we have markets for that great produce and that farmers and their regional communities can continue to thrive.”

The US and China are the two biggest markets and while trade relations with China have stabilised, exports to the US face potentially damaging tariffs.

Beef exports are breaking records and were worth $16 billion in the last financial year, while the government is continuing to strengthen access to markets like the European Union, South America and Southeast Asia.

“The world wants our produce and our government is laser-focused on ensuring that we can take advantage of these opportunities,” Ms Collins said.

But exports have always been on track to meet that target and it is probably the wrong indicator to pursue, Australian Conservation Foundation business and nature lead Nathaniel Pelle told AAP.

“It’s a target that’s all about volume and revenue and not really around measuring, for example, how many healthy meals does the agriculture industry provide,” he said.

“These kind of revenue figures based on the price of commodities changing don’t tell you much about whether the actual farmers are doing well.”

The AgXchange conference is held by the National Farmers Federation, whose chief executive Su McCluskey said agriculture was “about the only sector” maintaining productivity growth.

“It’s under one per cent but we are still positive,” she said.

“That’s despite all of the headwinds and droughts and floods that we’ve seen, particularly over the last 12 months, with the challenges around tariffs … despite all of that.”

This AAP article was made possible by support from Landcare Australia and the National Farmers’ Federation.

A call to arms has been issued by a resources sector peak body amid an escalating coal royalties stoush with a state government.

Resource Industry Network has urged its members to join the fight against Queensland’s “unsustainable” royalties scheme, highlighting the plight of businesses caught in the coal industry “crisis”.

In a newsletter seen by AAP, the network outlines key phases of its campaign against Queensland’s “world-highest coal tax” to its almost 8000-strong members.

They have been asked to support a petition, contribute video to a social media campaign, seek out local media for interviews and join a delegation to meet the government in Brisbane.

Tips are also provided, with the network saying it can provide “talking points, guidance on engaging with media (and) introductions to media outlets when required”.

Calls for royalties reform grew louder when BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Anglo American and QCoal recently announced a total of 1200 job cuts, with two coal mines either closed or mothballed in central Queensland.

The network represented businesses that were part of the supply chain to the coal mines impacted by the cuts, general manager Dean Kirkwood said.

“It is a call to arms for those businesses,” he said of the newsletter.

“We feel that all the conversations around mine closures are focusing on the mining companies without mentioning the over 600 businesses in the region that are at least partly reliant on a prosperous resources sector.”

Business owners were fast losing confidence in the government and industry amid fears job losses would lead to families leaving and the devastation of communities, he said.

The state’s former Labor government introduced a tiered royalties system in 2022, with higher revenues generated during boom periods of high coal prices but less taken when market conditions deteriorate.

Miners want the tiers adjusted amid rising production costs and weak coal prices.

Premier David Crisafulli has refused to change the scheme, taking a swipe at the mining companies who blamed royalties for the recent job cuts by calling them “fairweather friends”.

“That was an interesting statement from the premier,” Mr Kirkwood said.

“The resources sector has been the driving force behind Queensland for decades now.

“It has in the past gone through some very tough times but the cost pressures the coal mine operators are facing at the moment are greater than they have ever been.”

The Queensland government will meet with lobby group Queensland Resources Council on Friday but leaders have been adamant royalties won’t be changed.

There is speculation the government will offer financial relief via other costs and charges the state imposes on miners, without touching its royalties regime.

In August the state government finalised a deal with Adani to defer royalty payments in exchange for an expansion of central Queensland’s Carmichael coal mine.

Mr Crisafulli on Wednesday said the government would be working with the mining industry to give them confidence, predicting a “very bright future” for coal in Queensland.

“I’ve got a lot of faith that you’re going to see the future of coal mining in this state for a long, long time to come and I’m pretty confident some new investment (is) coming as well,” he said.

“If you want proof of that, Adani has just committed to 600 extra jobs.

“We are working with industry to show that there’s a future.”

New Zealand’s first female central bank governor and its first foreign leader in modern history takes the top job amid heightened criticism of the bank’s management of the economy and as independent monetary policy around the world comes under political pressure.

Anna Breman, 49, the deputy governor of Sweden’s Riksbank, was picked after a worldwide search, New Zealand said on Wednesday.

She joined the Swedish central bank’s executive board in 2019, contributing to decision-making including monetary policy, financial stability, and national payments systems, and became first deputy governor in 2022.

Not a lot is known about her views on monetary policy.

Riksbank surprised markets by cutting rates on Tuesday and Breman voted for the move, while one other deputy advocated for no change.

At the media conference in Wellington after her appointment on Wednesday, the economist said the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would “stay laser-focused on delivering low and stable inflation”.

Breman said in a speech in March about Sweden’s economy that the task of monetary policy was to contribute to economic stability by holding inflation close to two per cent and maintaining confidence in the inflation target.

“This is important not least in times of uncertainty. If we judge that the outlook for inflation and economic activity is changing, we will adjust monetary policy,” she said.

Breman takes the helm at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand as it faces criticism for abetting a surge in inflation by pumping billions of dollars of stimulus during the pandemic.

It was then forced to engineer a recession with high interest rates to get prices back under control.

Her appointment also comes as the notion of central bank independence comes under increasing political pressure globally.

In another speech in London in June, Breman said central banks needed to “be prepared for the fact that monetary policy may need to be conducted and communicated in a politically and economically more uncertain world in the future”.

Breman, a Swedish national, started her speech on Wednesday, with “kia ora”, New Zealand’s Maori-language greeting, and told reporters she would be keen to learn more about the Maori economy and the country’s culture.

Under Orr, the RBNZ put Maori heritage and language at the centre of its operations, resulting in some bold changes not only to its branding but also its approach to policy and communication.

Such reforms have since fallen out of favour with the current centre-right government, which has wound back Maori language use and ended some empowerment policies in other agencies.

Breman is married and has two teenage daughters and said her family was looking forward to moving to Wellington later in 2025.

Anthony Albanese’s first sit-down with Donald Trump at the White House is unlikely to turn into “car-crash television” even as Australian and US policies diverge.

The prime minister has finally locked in a long-awaited face-to-face meeting with the US president in Washington on October 20.

But the prospect of an in-person meeting with the volatile billionaire has raised fears Mr Albanese could face an Oval Office spray from Mr Trump, similar to his infamous clash with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

ANU international relations senior lecturer Charles Miller said the meeting between the two leaders could range anywhere from “quite cordial to being car crash television”.

“It’s certainly possible that we could see Trump attack Albanese over a number of things, for example, recognising the state of Palestine … but I don’t think that he will,” he told AAP.

“They’ve built up a fairly good relationship so far and I can’t see any really particularly strong reasons why he would choose to try and pick a fight with Australia.”

Previously planned talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June were cancelled due to the then-escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine has been labelled a “serious mistake” by senior US officials and marks a notable point of disagreement with Washington.

The US president overnight criticised countries that had recognised Palestine during a fiery speech at the United Nations, saying it was “a reward for these horrible atrocities” committed by Hamas in 2023 against Israelis.

Pointing to the blow-up earlier this year between the Trump administration and Ukraine’s president, Dr Miller said it was a demonstration the damage wasn’t “irreparable” as Mr Trump has since warmed to Mr Zelenskiy and Ukraine’s cause.

Criticism that delays in securing a meeting with Mr Trump was down to diplomatic incompetence by Mr Albanese was “overblown”, the expert added.

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine was making it more difficult for the war in Gaza to be resolved.

“It’s a point of stress … it’s a point of strong disagreement, not mild,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

But Mr Huckabee said the disagreement didn’t mean the US would start breaking its relationships with nations.

“I’m sure that the US and Australia, and the US and other countries, will continue to work together on the things with which we agree,” he said.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wrote to a group of US Republicans promising to reverse Labor’s position on Palestine if the coalition was elected to government.

Asked about Ms Ley’s promise, Mr Huckabee said it suggested not everyone in Australia agreed with the government.

“I’m comforted by that, because it does tell me that there are those who are looking at this from what’s best for not just the Middle East, but that’s really for a global resolve of a situation that is hurting many and helping no one,” he said.

Australia has been lobbying the US to lift tariffs, while it has also been seeking assurances on the future of its $368 billion nuclear submarine deal under the trilateral AUKUS partnership.

Nationals senate leader Bridget McKenzie urged Mr Albanese to push for a better deal from the US on trade, despite Australia being among the countries with the lowest tariff rate of 10 per cent.

“There is a lot to discuss,” she said.

“Let’s hope the meeting takes place and the prime minister can put our case forward to the president.”

Jimmy Kimmel has returned to late-night television defending US political satire against “bullying” by the Trump administration, six days after his on-air comments about the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk led Disney to suspend his show.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel told his audience, his voice choking with emotion.

“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual – that was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make,” he added.

Disney, parent company of the ABC network which airs Jimmy Kimmel Live!, halted production of his show on September 17, two days after Kimmel said in his opening monologue that President Donald Trump’s supporters were desperate to characterise Kirk’s accused assassin “as anything other than one of them” and accused them of trying to “score political points” from his killing.

Before Kimmel’s show aired on Tuesday, Trump wrote that he “can’t believe” ABC gave Kimmel back his show, and hinted at further action against the network.

“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.

“He is yet another arm of the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.”

The Trump administration and many of its supporters were enraged by Kimmel’s comments of last week, which occurred five days after Kirk, a close Trump ally and radio-podcast host, was shot dead while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

In response to Kimmel’s remarks, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, threatened an investigation and urged television stations to drop Kimmel’s show or face possible fines and revocation of their broadcast licenses.

Disney’s decision to cut short Kimmel’s exile marked a high-profile act of defiance in the face of an escalating crackdown by Trump on his perceived media critics through litigation and regulatory threats from the FCC.

Even though Disney has now brought back Kimmel to ABC’s lineup, the two largest television station groups of ABC local affiliates – Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair – are still boycotting his show.

Kimmel, a four-time Oscars host, said Trump was not just after comedians he disliked, but also journalists, saying of the Republican president: “He’s suing them, he’s bullying them”.

“I know that’s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it’s so important to have a free press, and it is nuts we’re not paying more attention to it,” Kimmel said.

He also said he was “deeply” moved by the forgiveness expressed by Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, for her husband’s accused killer, a 22-year-old technical school student from Utah.

with PA

Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump have greeted each other at the US president’s welcome reception for world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly.

The prime minister and Mr Trump came face-to-face after Mr Albanese arrived at the evening event in New York with fiancée Jodie Haydon on Wednesday (AEST).

Earlier, a formal sit-down was locked in for the pair following months of speculation and several phone conversations between the two leaders.

About 145 leaders and their partners lined up for hours to get a picture with Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

During a press conference on the sidelines of the UN meeting, Mr Albanese confirmed the October 20 talks would take place at the White House.

Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, told those attending a speech by the prime minister about investment that the government was “delighted” at the confirmation.

Much earlier in the day, Mr Trump delivered a combative 56-minute speech on the floor of the UN, arguing for lower levels of global migration and a turn away from policies to combat climate change.

He also strongly criticised moves by allies, including Australia, to support a Palestinian state.

Asked about Mr Trump’s address, Mr Albanese said it was good to hear his views.

“It was a great privilege to be at the United Nations this morning to hear President Trump and other leaders … put forward their perspectives,” he told reporters.

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said his nation had “strong disagreement” with the countries he described as calling unilaterally for a Palestinian state.

“It is having the opposite effect of what I think these countries want … they want to see an end to (conflict in) Gaza. This is prolonging it,” he told ABC Radio.

“The number of countries have decided to jump on this wagon, I just don’t know what they expect they’re going to get from this other than more turmoil.”

Former foreign minister Bob Carr said recognition signalled “equal humanity” for Palestinians as the same basis of respect given for Israelis.

“The message is, to Israel, stop the genocide, a brazen breach of the convention, and stop the settlement expansion on the West Bank,” he said.

The prime minister missed out on a formal meeting with Mr Trump as Australia was left off the president’s official schedule for the UN session.

The opposition had been critical of the prime minister’s failure to secure a meeting with the US president.

During his speech at the event hosted by Australia’s Macquarie Group, Mr Albanese showcased the nation to global investors, focusing on Labor’s multibillion-dollar suite of “future made in Australia” policies.

Mr Albanese might also brush past Mr Trump at October’s APEC and ASEAN summits in South Korea and Malaysia.

A $150,000 fine levied against the ABC is intended to encourage employers to hold strong against boycotts, public shaming and cancel culture.

The penalty was imposed on Wednesday against the public broadcaster, which breached workplace law when it sacked journalist Antoinette Lattouf from her casual role on ABC Radio Sydney’s Mornings program in 2023.

The organisation “surrendered” to a co-ordinated email campaign against Lattouf by pro-Israel lobbyists and sacrificed her for spurious reasons, Justice Darryl Rangiah found.

The journalist shared a post relating to the conflict in Gaza and was unlawfully terminated for her political opinion.

Justice Rangiah said a large penalty was required because the ABC would likely be subject to the same kinds of pressure over different issues in the future.

“(Mass) communication through social media has given lobby groups from all sides of the political spectrum increasing power to engage in campaigns of boycotting, public shaming and cancelling of businesses and organisations,” the Federal Court judge wrote in his decision.

“It is necessary to set the penalties at a level calculated to deter not just the ABC, but other employers, from dismissing their employees in such circumstances.”

In removing Lattouf from the air without giving her the chance to defend her actions, chief content officer Christopher Oliver-Taylor blithely ignored the risk the ABC would contravene the terms of its enterprise agreement, the judge said.

Mr Oliver-Taylor did not consult with human relations or the legal department.

Instead, he sacked her to “beat a story” due to be published by The Australian about Lattouf’s employment, the judge found.

Ita Buttrose and David Anderson, then the broadcaster’s chair and managing director, had both expressed displeasure at Lattouf’s hiring.

But the final decision was Mr Oliver-Taylor’s alone, Justice Rangiah found.

The ABC was in a difficult position, caught between the lobbyists’ campaign and Lattouf’s decision to share an Instagram post saying starvation was used as a “tool of war” in Gaza.

However, the judge said its conduct was still particularly serious.

“The ABC’s response was to surrender to the lobbyists’ political campaign by sacrificing Ms Lattouf,” he said.

The ABC was “a trusted, respected and cherished part of the Australian cultural fabric” that ignored its obligations of independence and integrity, Justice Rangiah said.

It was also required to maintain high employment standards as a public organisation.

“The ABC let down the Australian public badly when it abjectly surrendered the rights of its employee Ms Lattouf to appease a lobby group,” the judge said.

The ABC defended the case but showed contrition after its loss.

But that contrition was undermined by a failure to investigate the source of a leak of internal information to The Australian about Lattouf’s termination, the judge said.

Lattouf called for a $350,000 fine, while the ABC argued it deserved to pay no more than $56,340.

The $150,000 is due to be paid to the sacked journalist and comes in addition to the $70,000 in damages she was previously awarded.

The broadcaster has spent more than $2 million in taxpayer funds defending the case.

“Whatever the penalty, for me this was never about money – it’s always been about accountability and the integrity of the information our public broadcaster gives us,” Lattouf said in a statement posted on X on Tuesday.

“I hope the ABC takes this opportunity to restore credibility, regain trust and re-establish integrity because our democracy depends on a strong fourth estate.”

ABC managing director Hugh Marks, who was appointed in December to take over from Mr Anderson, apologised to Lattouf and said the matter had been educational and “deeply felt” within the organisation.

“We must be better,” he said.