A top US official has trashed Australia’s biosecurity concerns and claimed they are being used to “block” American markets.

As the fallout from President Donald Trump’s sweeping trade measures continues to reverberate,  US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pointed to the 10 per cent tariff slapped on Australian goods to justify the executive order.

The United States has long taken issue with Australia’s ban on uncooked American beef imports, which has been in place since a 2003 mad cow disease outbreak.

Australia also does not allow fresh pork imports, uncooked poultry or pears and apples from the US to prevent pests and bacteria.

But Mr Lutnick decried these restrictions.

“This is nonsense, this is all nonsense,” he told CNN.

“What happens is, they block our markets.

“When we open those markets, our volumes grow, our farmers will thrive and the price of groceries will come down.”

There is some validity to the Americans’ accusations as Australia has used “beyond-the-border” tariffs, Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard said.

“Rather than imposing financial tariffs, we use the biosecurity regime as a form of trade policy,” she told AAP.

“Everyone involved in primary industries knows it, everyone that watches politics knows it.”

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have taken a bipartisan position on the issue with both promising not to undermine Australia’s biosecurity in US tariff negotiations.

Overnight, US and world stock markets sank amid fears the tariffs could spark a global trade war and recession.

Wall Street marked its biggest one-day percentage loss – nearly four per cent – since mid-2020 when the COVID pandemic was in play.

The Australian stock market is expected to follow suit when trading resumes on Friday morning.

Australia has been hit less hard by the tariffs as its rates rest on the baseline. There are some exemptions for important industries like pharmaceuticals, however the indirect impact of the measures remains a key concern.

“What we have seen overnight is a fall in the stock market globally,” Mr Albanese told ABC radio on Friday.

“There is concern that this will lead to lower economic growth right around the world, and of course, as a trading nation, that will have an impact on us.”

Negotiations are ongoing with the US administration and Mr Dutton believes his government could bring more to the table if it is elected .

“When we were in government last, we negotiated for Australia to be exempt and this prime minister has failed that test,” he told reporters in Sydney.

No country has successfully secured an exemption from US tariffs.

With a federal election on the horizon, the tariffs could provide leaders an opportunity to reinvigorate their campaigns.

“It’s an opportunity for both to show strength,” said Headline Advisory director Andrew Carswell, who previously served as a media adviser to former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison.

One country that has already used the tariffs as political fuel is Canada.

America’s northern neighbour will go to a national election less than a week before Australians take to their own ballot boxes on May 3.

The Canadian Liberal Party has completely turned around its political chances after appointing a new leader who has vowed to fight back with his “elbows up”, referencing a hockey move used to ward off others.

“You can see a template for turning this into a genuine election campaign issue, that is otherwise pretty devoid of policy,” Dr Sheppard said.

Peter Dutton’s approval rating among voters has plunged to its worst level since becoming opposition leader, polling shows.

The first YouGov poll since the federal election was called for May 3, provided to AAP, shows Mr Dutton’s satisfaction rating plummeting to minus 15.

His net satisfaction among voters slumped by 10 points in the two weeks since the last YouGov poll was released on March 21.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal standing among voters remains in negative territory, but his satisfaction level has improved from minus nine to minus six.

It’s the first time since June 2024 the prime minister has had a higher net-satisfaction rating than the opposition leader.

As the first week of the federal election campaign wraps up, Labor maintains its slim overall lead over the coalition, ahead 51 per cent to 49 on a two-party preferred basis.

Opinion ratings for Mr Dutton had dropped substantially since he unveiled policies, YouGov’s director of public data Paul Smith said.

“Peter Dutton’s personal satisfaction ratings have sunk like a stone to his lowest ever in YouGov’s public data poll since he tied himself to Trump-style policies of banning work from home and sacking 40,000 public sector workers,” he said.

Mr Dutton has been under pressure on the campaign trail to detail where the public service cuts will be made.

The YouGov poll also showed Labor’s primary vote went backwards slightly since the election campaign started, dropping one point to 30 per cent, while the coalition’s also fell by two points to 35 per cent.

While the Greens and One Nation have remained stable at 13 and seven per cent respectively for their primary votes, independents have enjoyed a slight increase, rising by two points to 10 per cent.

Mr Albanese also solidified his lead as preferred prime minister, leading 45 per cent to 38 per cent, following a two-point drop in support for Mr Dutton as leader.

The polling comes as party leaders have tried to pitch themselves as best placed to deal with US President Donald Trump, following the decision to impose 10 per cent tariffs on Australian exports.

The ramifications of the tariff decision are expected to dominate discussion as the election campaign enters its second week.

Both party leaders are set to spend Friday campaigning in Sydney, with several seats in the city set to decide the election outcome.

The YouGov poll of 1622 people was conducted between March 28 and April 3, with a margin of error of 3.3 per cent.

Donald Trump’s trade war offers Australia’s leaders a chance to show strength and reinvigorate their federal election campaigns.

Australia has been slapped with a 10 per cent tariff on goods sent to America after the US president revealed a suite of measures against his nation’s trading partners.

While there are exemptions for certain industries, the decision has fuelled anxiety and created an opening for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to prove their worth as they try to win over voters.

“It’s an opportunity for both to show strength,” said Headline Advisory director Andrew Carswell, who previously served as a media adviser to former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison.

One country that has already used the tariffs as political fuel is Canada.

America’s northern neighbour will go to a national election less than a week before Australians take to their own ballot boxes on May 3.

The Canadian Liberal Party has completely turned around its political chances after appointing a new leader who has vowed to fight back with his “elbows up”, referencing a hockey move used to ward off others.

“You can see a template for turning this into a genuine election campaign issue, that is otherwise pretty devoid of policy,” Australian National University politics lecturer Jill Sheppard told AAP.

Canada has copped worse blows from the US than Australia, having been hit with a blanket 25 per cent tariff and the threat of American invasion.

Australians are growing increasingly worried about the US, with 60 per cent now believing Mr Trump’s election has been bad for Australia, a recent poll in the Nine newspapers found.

This could present more of a political opportunity for Mr Albanese, who is often perceived as weaker than his opponent.

“The strength that Peter Dutton will show and has shown is already baked into people’s thinking,” Mr Carswell told AAP.

“It’s an opportunity for Albanese to change people’s mindsets about him – that he is strong, that he can stand up for Australia.”

However, the prime minister – unlike the Canadian nominee – does not have a clean slate, Dr Sheppard warned.

He has already been in office and doesn’t have “runs on the board” in dealing with the Republican administration compared to the coalition, which negotiated a tariff exemption during Mr Trump’s first term under then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

On the other hand, Mr Dutton has to thread the needle by spruiking his connections to the US president without appearing so close that he could not stand up to him, Dr Sheppard said.

The government will continue to negotiate with the US and advocate for Australia, the prime minister has said, while Mr Dutton maintained he had the experience and leadership to fight for his country.

The United States government is talking to all major trading partners throughout the world about ways to bring down US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says, adding that they will have to change their rules to allow more imports of US products.

Trump on Wednesday imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from allies and rivals alike, prompting the European Union to threaten the US with countermeasures unless a solution is found.

The penalties unleashed turbulence across world markets and drew condemnation from other leaders facing the end of an era of trade liberalisation that has shaped the global order for decades.

Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on some of the country’s biggest trading partners, hammering goods from premium Italian coffee and Japanese whisky to sportswear made in Asia.

Lutnick told CNBC television a day after Trump announced a global baseline tariff and steep reciprocal duties that the discussions had been going on for more than a month.

“The key is, will they take our agricultural products? Will they treat us fairly? Can they treat us fairly? And the answer is, over time, that is going to be yes,” Lutnick told CNBC television.

“American products are going to be better sold elsewhere in the world.”

Lutnick said that he did not believe that countries would be able to win exemptions from the tariffs, and it will not be “effective for the world to retaliate” against the US but the Trump administration would engage in discussions to find ways to treat US goods more fairly.

This includes ways to eliminate trade barriers such as those posed by value-added tax, which Lutnick said acted as subsidies for exports.

Lutnick added that at least one trade minister offered to allow US vehicles to access similar subsidies, without identifying the country.

“I expect most countries to start to really examine their trade policy towards the United States of America, and stop picking on us,” Lutnick said.

“Stop saying that we can’t sell our corn to India. Stop saying that we can’t sell our beef anywhere.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that he viewed the tariffs announcement as the start of negotiations, in which the Nordic country aims to ultimately get as low tariffs as possible.

“Yesterday’s announcement is probably more damaging than many expected,” Kristersson told reporters at a press conference.

Trump said the “reciprocal” tariffs were a response to duties and other non-tariff barriers put on US goods.

He argued that the new levies will boost manufacturing jobs at home.

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said he knows many in the US are worried about costs in the face of what he noted was “a big change” with tariffs, and cautioned that it would take time to see lower prices or more US jobs and manufacturing.

“We know a lot of Americans are worried,” he told Fox News.

“What I’d ask folks to appreciate here is that we are not going to fix things overnight.”

Trump said he believes the United States is on the right track following the announcement of his tariffs.

“THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

with DPA

The administration of US President Donald Trump’s work to find a local buyer for the short-video social media site TikTok is on track ahead of a deadline to reach a deal for non-Chinese ownership, Vice President JD Vance says as bids mount.

“It’ll come out before the deadline,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News’ Fox & Friends program regarding the Saturday target date.

“I think that we’re in a good place. We’re going to keep on working at it.”

There has been uncertainty about the popular video app after a US law took effect on January 19 requiring its China-based parent ByteDance to divest its ownership because of national security concerns. 

After taking office, Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve by signing an executive order that delayed until April 5 the enforcement of the law requiring a sale or effectively imposing a ban.

with AP

Britain believes a trade deal with the United States is close as it seeks to soften the impact of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which threaten an escalating global trade war that would hurt its open economy.

Britain was spared the most punitive treatment in Trump’s tariff announcement on Wednesday when it was hit with the lowest import duty rate of 10 per cent.

London said that decision vindicated its approach of trying to strike a new economic partnership with the US, rather than meeting fire with fire.

But Britain’s economy, which has been sluggish largely since the 2007-08 global financial crisis, is vulnerable to a global economic slowdown. 

An agreement with the United States could at least help the Labour government, which promised voters in the 2024 election that it would speed up the economy.

Business minister Jonathan Reynolds said Britain was “exposed not just to decisions between ourselves and the United States, but that wider global environment”.

He told the BBC it was “not inaccurate” to say the two sides had agreed the broad outline of a deal, which might secure a carve out on tariffs, but that it had not yet crossed Trump’s desk.

“We’ve got to keep this work going,” he said, adding he recognised that Britain was already in a better position than lots of other countries who faced tariffs of 20 per cent or higher.

Britain must decide how much it is willing to concede to Trump. 

Trade experts warn that his demands could force it to confront sensitive issues from trading ties with the European Union and China to how it treats its large cultural sector.

“Negotiations on an economic prosperity deal, one that strengthens our existing trading relationship – they continue,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told business leaders on Thursday.

“Nonetheless, I do want to be clear I will only strike a deal if it is in our national interest,” he said.

Britain had argued it should not be punished by Trump’s tariffs because trade flows between the two countries were broadly in balance and its exports were mostly in services, which do not typically incur tariffs.

But its manufacturers are part of European and global supply chains, meaning they could be hurt by retaliation against Trump’s tariffs.

Countries across the world, including some of America’s closest allies, have condemned President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs and some pledged countermeasures while hoping the White House will be open to negotiations.

China urged the United States to immediately cancel its latest tariffs and vowed to safeguard its own interests, threatening to spiral the world’s largest economies deeper into a trade war that is likely to upend global supply chains.

Leaders in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea, all major US allies in the region, blasted Trump’s move. 

“We need to decide what is best for Japan, and most effective, in a careful but bold and speedy manner,” said Trade Minister Yoji Muto, when asked whether Japan would retaliate.

Trump said on Wednesday that he would impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of other countries.

Among close US allies, Japan was targeted with a 24 per cent rate, South Korea with 25 per cent, Taiwan with 32 per cent and the European Union with 20 per cent. 

The UK, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and most of South America were let off with the minimum 10 per cent.

“The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the world,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. 

“We are ready to respond, we are preparing further packages of measures to protect our interests.”

Trump announced China would be hit with a 34 per cent tariff, on top of the 20 per cent he previously imposed earlier in 2025, bringing the total new levies to 54 per cent and close to the 60 per cent figure he had threatened while on the campaign trail.

“China firmly opposes this,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement. 

“There are no winners in trade wars, and there is no way out for protectionism.”

However, several leaders pressed for talks with the White House, seeking exemptions or a retreat on duties, while von der Leyen said she agreed with Trump that the global trading system had “serious deficiencies”.

Trump was not imposing his new 10 per cent global tariff rate on top trading partners Canada and Mexico while his previous order remained in place for up to 25 per cent tariffs on many goods from the two countries over border control and fentanyl trafficking issues, the White House said.

“We are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures, we are going to protect our workers, and we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that Mexico would not pursue a “tit-for-tat on tariffs” but would rather announce a “comprehensive program” on Thursday.

The government of Latin America’s largest economy, Brazil, which Trump slapped with a 10 per cent tariff, said it was “evaluating all possible actions to ensure reciprocity in bilateral trade, including resorting to the World Trade Organisation”.

President Donald Trump’s move to slap a 10 per cent tariff on most goods imported to the United States, as well as much higher levies on dozens of rivals and allies alike, has intensified a global trade war that threatens to stoke inflation and stall growth.

The sweeping penalties announced in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday immediately unleashed turbulence across world markets and drew condemnation from other leaders now facing the end of an era of trade liberalisation that has shaped the global order for decades.

Now facing 54 per cent tariffs on exports to the US, the world’s No.2 economy China vowed countermeasures, as did the European Union – Washington’s friends and foes united in criticism of measures they fear will deal a devastating blow to global trade.

“The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, adding the 27-member bloc was preparing to hit back if talks with Washington failed.

US Treasury Chief Scott Bessent earlier warned that any such retaliatory moves would only lead to escalation.

Among close US allies, the European Union was targeted with a 20 per cent rate, Japan with 24 per cent, South Korea with 25 per cent and Taiwan with 32 per cent.

Even some tiny territories and uninhabited islands in the Antarctic were hit by tariffs, according to a list posted by the White House on X.

The base tariffs go into effect on April 5 and the higher reciprocal rates on April 9.

Trump said the “reciprocal” tariffs were a response to duties and other non-tariff barriers put on US goods.

He argued the new levies will boost manufacturing jobs at home.

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far,” Trump said on Wednesday.

Outside economists have warned that tariffs could slow the global economy, raise the risk of recession, and increase living costs for the average American family by thousands of dollars.

Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading partners, already face 25 per cent tariffs on many goods and will not face additional levies from Wednesday’s announcement.

Even some fellow Republicans have expressed concern about Trump’s aggressive trade policy.

Within hours of Wednesday’s announcement, the Senate voted 51-48 to approve legislation that would terminate Trump’s Canadian tariffs, with a handful of Republicans breaking with the president, although passage in the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is unlikely.

Trump’s top economist, Stephen Miran, told Fox Business on Wednesday the tariffs would work out well for the US in the long run, even if they cause some initial disruption.

“Are there going to be short-term bumps as a result? Absolutely,” Miran, the chairman of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors, said.

The reciprocal tariffs do not apply to certain goods, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, timber, gold, energy and “certain minerals that are not available in the United States,” according to a White House fact sheet.

Earlier in the day, the administration said a separate set of tariffs on auto imports that Trump announced last week will take effect starting on Thursday.

Trump previously imposed 25 per cent duties on steel and aluminium and extended them to nearly $US150 billion ($A240 billion) worth of downstream products.

Tariff concerns have already slowed manufacturing activity across the globe, while also spurring sales of autos and other imported products as consumers rush to make purchases before prices rise.

Australian exporters are bracing for impact after the US unleashed a second wave of tariffs on the world.

President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled sweeping 10 per cent tariffs on Australian goods sent to the US as part of his “liberation day” announcements on all American trading partners.

Though there are some exemptions for pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and other exports, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintained the tariffs were “totally unwarranted”.

“The administration’s tariffs have no basis in logic,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“Today’s decision will add to uncertainty in the global economy.”

Tariff levels varied depending on the country and while most were around 25 per cent, Australia has been hit less hard as its rates rest on the baseline.

But the Thursday morning announcement still wreaked financial havoc across the country.

Australian shares took a tumble, with the top-200 plummeting more than two per cent in early trade.

Appliance manufacturer Breville has told shareholders input costs will rise, with 90 per cent of its products manufactured in China and the US accounting for almost half of total sales.

Penfolds owner Treasury Wine Estates, fashion brand Cettire and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare have issued statements playing down the impacts of tariffs.

Mr Trump singled out Australia, partly because the government has banned imports on various American produce to prevent contamination and diseases.

Uncooked American beef, in particular, has been barred since a mad cow disease outbreak in 2003.

“Australians … they’re wonderful people, wonderful everything, but they ban American beef,” Mr Trump said.

“They won’t take any of our beef, they don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers.”

Australian beef has not been banned from the US, offering some relief to the domestic industry, but the Red Meat Advisory Council is still unhappy with the tariffs.

“It remains a disappointing decision,” council chair John McKillop said.

The US was Australia’s largest red meat export market in 2024 and was worth more than $6 billion, according to the council.

US consumers could be forced to pay more since Australian beef is in an estimated six billion hamburgers eaten every year in America.

Australia’s other biggest exports to the US are financial services, gold, sheep and goat meat, transportation services and vaccines.

While Australia has ruled out reciprocal tariffs, Mr Albanese gave assurances it would not just bend to the US.

Neither will the government undermine its media bargaining code or weaken biosecurity measures.

Instead, Australia will strengthen its anti-dumping regime to protect domestic steel, aluminium and manufacturing to combat unfair competition and provide $50 million to affected sectors, particularly bodies such as the National Farmers Federation.

The government has already earmarked $20 million for its “buy Australian” campaign and will prioritise local businesses for procurement and contracts.

Meanwhile, Australia’s trade relationships will be diversified, with the government recently signing a new trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and continuing to pursue an agreement with the European Union.

The White House published a list that also specifies 10 per cent tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a barren and uninhabited Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, and on Christmas Island, the former home to Australia’s offshore immigration detention centres.

Meanwhile Norfolk Island, another Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean, was slugged with a 29 per cent tariff even though it largely exports about $400,000 in leather shoes, $250,000 in seeds, and $175,000 in vehicle parts, according to the same list.

China is urging the United States to immediately cancel its latest tariffs and vowed countermeasures to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump declared sweeping levies on all US trading partners around the world.

The US move disregarded the balance of interests reached in multilateral trade negotiations over the years and the fact that it had long benefited greatly from international trade, the Chinese commerce ministry said.

“China firmly opposes this and will take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests,” the ministry said on Thursday, as the world’s largest economies look set to spiral deeper into a trade war that stands to upend global supply chains.

Trump on Wednesday announced China would be hit with a 34 per cent tariff, on top of the 20 per cent he imposed earlier in 2025, bringing the total new levies to 54 per cent and close to the 60 per cent figure he had threatened while on the campaign trail.

Chinese exporters, as with those from every other economy, will face a 10 per cent baseline tariff, as part of the new 34 per cent levy, on almost all goods shipped to the world’s largest consumer economy from Saturday before the remaining, higher “reciprocal tariffs” take effect from April 9.

Trump also signed an executive order closing a trade loophole known as “de minimis” that has allowed low-value packages from China and Hong Kong to enter the US duty-free.

Trump had ordered the US Trade Representative to determine whether China was living up to its commitments under the 2020 “Phase 1” US-China trade agreement by April 1.

The deal had required China to increase purchases of US exports by $US200 billion ($A320 billion) over a two-year period, but Beijing failed to meet its targets when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

China bought $US153 billion in US goods in 2017, before the trade war began, Chinese customs data shows, and that figure rose to $US164 billion in 2024.