In brief
- The two leaders had a "warm and productive" call on Thursday.
- They also agreed that AUKUS will continue to deliver benefits for the US, Australia, and the UK.
United States President Donald Trump said he would consider granting an exemption to wide-ranging tariffs on Australian exports after a phone call with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.
Albanese said the conversation was "warm and productive", and that he had made the case for the US to drop its 12.5 per cent tariffs on Australia. Those new tariffs came into effect in July, replacing a previous 10 per cent tariff that was due to expire at the same time.
"I put the case as strongly as I could. It was a constructive discussion about why Australia should get at least the best treatment," he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
"I did ask that Australia's position as a friend of the United States be considered, and the president agreed that he would give consideration to my request."
The US cited concerns over modern slavery laws when it announced wide-ranging tariffs on a range of countries earlier this year.
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"I informed him about our record when it comes to dealing with issues such as modern slavery, the strengthening that we have put forward as well, to look and hold companies accountable for the supply-chain process as well," Albanese said.
"We have a different view, a different perspective. What I was able to do was to put the case to the president not in ideological terms, because the position is what it is."
The two leaders also discussed the AUKUS submarine deal between the two countries, the war in Iran, and Australia's recent alliances in the Pacific.
"We agreed [AUKUS] was a project that is and will continue to deliver benefits for the United States, for Australia, and for the United Kingdom," Albanese said.
The pair discussed the second pillar of the program, which includes enabling systems for uncrewed undersea vehicles.
The call came just hours after Pentagon official and former AUKUS sceptic Elbridge Colby confirmed to journalists that the mega deal was "full steam ahead".
Colby, who is the US undersecretary of war, originally wrote what was perceived as a sceptical review of the submarine deal before revising his writing to be more in line with Trump's view.
The Pentagon recently admitted construction of US Virginia-class nuclear submarines was languishing at about 1.1 to 1.2 boats per year, while 2.33 need to be made annually to meet AUKUS requirements.
Albanese said his phone call with Trump included an extensive update on the situation in the Middle East.
"We did continue to say that Iran shouldn't be allowed to have nuclear weapons. That represents a huge risk for the region," he said.
The prime minister also briefed the US president about a Chinese ballistic missile test in the Pacific in July, which has been condemned by leaders in the region.
"This caused a great deal of concern right across the Pacific, which is true," Albanese said.
Albanese has spoken with Trump at least five times since becoming prime minister. They have also met in person.
The prime minister is set to meet with Trump in person later in the year, with a trip to the UN in September and travel to the G20 summit in Florida in December on the cards.
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