Australia demands removal of ‘unjustified’ US tariffs
Josh Butler
We’ve just got a statement from Australia’s trade minister, Don Farrell, in response to the 12.5% tariffs to be levelled by the United States.
These tariffs are unjustified, inconsistent with our free trade agreement, and should be removed.
Australia’s measures to combat forced labour and modern slavery are among the strongest in the world, and we are recognised globally, including in the US, for our leadership.
Key events
Andrew Messenger
More detail on first suspected H5 bird flu case reported in Queensland
Queensland has reported its first suspected H5 bird flu case, after a deceased petrel discovered on the eastern side of Moreton Island tested positive to the virus.
Chief veterinary officer, Allison Crook, said the bird had been discovered on the beach and had likely washed ashore.
We have had an enhanced surveillance program in place for bird flu for quite a while now, and this program becomes even more important following this detection.’
Biosecurity agencies had moved from a “lean forward incident management arrangement” to a full stand-up, she said.
Minister for agriculture, Tony Perrett, urged vigilance from the community and poultry producers but said there is still a low risk to human health and it is still safe to continue to eat chicken meat or eggs and there is no cause for panic buying.
He said stopping an outbreak was a major challenge, due to the risk that migratory birds could bring the virus into the state.
It’s a great tragedy that we’re seeing this in the wild bird population and the migratory birds. Thankfully, there’s been no detections, obviously, in the native wild bird population in this state. Something that concerns us all, particularly the vulnerability that sits around that.
So that’s why we’ve got to do our absolute best, that’s why we’ve been preparing, particularly across agencies within within government, to make certain.
Queensland has returned the state’s first suspected positive case of H5 bird flu.
A strain of bird flu with the potential to devastate poultry and native animal populations has been reported in Queensland.
H5 bird flu had previously been confirmed in migratory wild birds in other states, including NSW and WA.
On Friday, the Queensland government revealed a suspected positive result had been returned after a dead petrel was found washed up on Moreton Island.
Samples from the animal are now undergoing further testing.
Results of the CSIRO’s testing will be communicated by the federal government.
There have been no detections in native birds, poultry, nor evidence of large-scale deaths in any animals in Queensland.
Australia demands removal of ‘unjustified’ US tariffs
Josh Butler
We’ve just got a statement from Australia’s trade minister, Don Farrell, in response to the 12.5% tariffs to be levelled by the United States.
These tariffs are unjustified, inconsistent with our free trade agreement, and should be removed.
Australia’s measures to combat forced labour and modern slavery are among the strongest in the world, and we are recognised globally, including in the US, for our leadership.
Josh Butler
Australian goods subject to US tariffs from today
The US trade action sets out that virtually all goods from Australia will be subject to the 12.5% tariffs, and that it will apply almost immediately.
The document says it will apply to goods entering from 12.01am US eastern time on 24 July – less than six hours from now – except for goods that had been loaded on to a vessel before that time and which enter before 12.01am eastern on 28 July.
The action, as it pertains to Australia specifically, states that after an investigation “the Trade Representative has determined to impose 12.5 percent tariffs on products of Australia” except for a limited number of exemptions.
“The Trade Representative has determined, in accordance with the specific direction of the President, that the tariff rate to be applied, and the scope of tariffs and exemptions are appropriate to obtain the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices determined to be actionable in the investigation” – that is, the claims of not doing enough to deal with forced labour.
Josh Butler
More detail on US tariffs as Australian exports in firing line
In some breaking news, the United States has announced it will hit Australian exports with a 12.5% tariff, in its latest trade move hitting dozens of countries that Donald Trump claims have not done enough to combat forced labour in supply chains.
We’ve contacted the trade minister, Don Farrell, for comment.
In a statement this morning, the US trade department claimed Australia was on a list of 54 economies it deemed as having “failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor”.
Other countries facing a 12.5% tariff include Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Other destinations on a separate list – including Canada, the European Union and Mexico – will be subject to a 10% tariff, after the US claimed they had only failed to “enforce” forced labour prohibitions.
In total the tariffs apply “to the top 60 U.S. trade partners covering 99.4% of U.S. imports”, according to a trade department statement.
The United States is the only country in the world to adopt, and effectively enforce, a ban on imports made with forced labor.
President Trump is asking all trading partners to join the United States in eliminating forced labor from global supply chains.
‘The comments are wrong’: Hanson’s statements on domestic violence decried
Comments made by Pauline Hanson on domestic violence have been condemned by the deputy opposition leader.
The One Nation leader faced swift backlash earlier this week after she called domestic violence a “two-way street”, described paid leave for those experiencing family and domestic violence as “ridiculous”, and suggested the issue is taking police away from “real crime”.
The deputy opposition leader, Jane Hume, continued to decry the comments on ABC radio:
The comments are wrong.
I think it demonstrates just how out of touch on this issue they really are.
Domestic violence is a scourge, it’s a national disgrace, it’s a serious crime and in an ideal world we’d like to see domestic violence not be a problem at all in society.
But I certainly don’t think we’re going to fix it by going on a podcast and calling domestic violence leave a holiday.
US to slap 12.5% tariff on Australian goods
Australian exports sent to the US will be hit with a 12.5% tariff as the US president imposes levies on more than 80 nations.
The Trump administration unveiled the latest tranche of tariffs for countries over their “failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour”.
But Australia defence minister, Richard Marles, has hit back against the reasoning, telling ABC radio:
This, in our view, makes no sense.
Forced labour is definitely something which needs to be combated around the world, so we support that objective.
But we have laws, which are amongst the strongest in the world, and we’ve been making that point to the Trump administration.
We want to see freer trade and more trade flows between Australia and the United States. Both of our countries benefit from that.
We continue to make that argument to the Trump administration, both in terms of trade but also in terms of our stance in relation to forced labour, and that’ll continue to be our position and the way in which we advocate.
Calls for de-escalation in Middle East as oil prices surge
Australia has more fuel now than it did before the war in Iran began, the defence minister has assured, as renewed hostilities in the Middle East drives a rise in oil prices.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose to its highest price since May as the US president, Donald Trump, warned of greater strikes on Iran.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, told ABC radio the government was not “sanguine” about the issue:
We absolutely need to see the strait of Hormuz be open and for freedom of navigation to happen there, for commercial shipping to be allowed through, and we very much call on Iran to allow that to be the case.
We need to see a restoration to the normal global fuel supply chain because it’s having a significant impact around the world.
But we do continue to call for a de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East
Our continued focus will be on ensuring that fuel supply going forward.
Shipyards receives $4.6bn boost to deliver Aukus submarines
Construction yards that will build Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet have been given an additional $4.6bn in funding.
The money will go to the new submarine construction yard at Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard and adds to the $3.9bn announced for the shipyard in February.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, said:
This is really important in terms of delivering our future nuclear-powered submarines.
It is a process which will see parts of the yard handed over over the next 10 years.
But the first of those sheds actually comes into operation within a year and that will enable us to cut steel on our first submarine by the end of this decade.
The federal government’s announcement as Labor’s national conference continues in the South Australian capital.
Albanese congratulates UK leader in first phone call
Krishani Dhanji
The prime minister has spoken to his new UK counterpart, Andy Burnham, who was sworn in on Monday, congratulating him on his appointment and invited him to visit Australia.
Burnham is the seventh UK prime minister in 10 years.
Anthony Albanese said the pair spoke about the Aukus defence pact, boosting trade and economic investment as well as the social media age ban for under-16s. The ban took effect in Australia in December, while the UK has followed suit on the policy, and announced a similar ban last month.
Albanese and Burnham also spoke about the challenges in the Middle East, artificial intelligence, and their shared passion for rugby league.
Qantas’s ultra long-distance plane to land in Melbourne after 19-hour test flight
A plane custom designed to complete some of the longest commercial flights in the world will land in Australia after embarking on a nonstop journey from Toulouse, France.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR, built for Qantas to fly about 20 hours non-stop between Sydney and London, is set to arrive in Melbourne on Friday morning as it completes its 19-hour trip.
The journey has attracted significant attention from plane and transport enthusiasts, with more than 12,000 people following its path on flightradar24.com.
Qantas’s Project Sunrise plans for nonstop services between Sydney and London have been delayed multiple times in previous years but flights are scheduled to start in October 2027.
Thanks Martin Farrer for kicking off the day. It’s Kat Wong here to take you through today’s news.
Markets fully priced for rate hike
Australia’s resilient labour market continues to be a bright spot in the nation’s economy, Australian Associated Press reports.
But despite the addition of more than 76,000 jobs in June, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon.
After the Australian Bureau of Statistics released another strong labour force report on Thursday, bonds traders ratcheted up expectations that the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates for a fourth time in 2026.
The market is now full priced in for a rate hike by Christmas. A few weeks ago it was a 50-50 bet.
The resurgence in rate fears is not all down to domestic factors.
Renewed hostilities in the Middle East have sent oil prices rising again and threaten to add fresh inflationary pressures to the economy.
While June quarter inflation data next week will be crucial to the RBA’s next rates decision in August, the figures could already be dated by the time they are released.
Brent crude oil prices have risen from $US72 a barrel to more than $US100 a barrel in recent weeks.
As a rule of thumb, each dollar higher the benchmark oil price results in about a cent per litre increase in petrol prices at the bowser.
‘We’ve got other priorities’ over gas taxes, Chalmers says
Luca Ittimani
Jim Chalmers has said the government has “other priorities” over a gas tax despite Labor members’ growing calls for reform.
The government was given the green light from party members and MPs at Labor’s conference on Thursday to extract a “fairer return” from Australia’s natural resources. Anthony Albanese shut down any prospect that would translate into a new gas export tax in the foreseeable future, as you can read here:
Chalmers told the ABC’s 730 on Thursday night:
I think that language in the platform reflected the balance that we have been seeking to strike … I acknowledge that there are people around the country and including people in our movement who would like us to go further. But we did take some important steps in that regard to get a fairer return.
He pointed to his past reforms to the petroleum resource rent tax and the government’s plan to bring in a gas reservation for Australia’s east coast, while noting the government wanted to maintain relationships with countries relying on Australian gas. He said:
The reason why a gas tax has not been on our agenda is because we’ve got other priorities, whether it’s reservation, the PRRT changes I’ve already made, or making sure that we are a reliable international supplier. That’s the government’s focus.
Chalmers says ‘anti-worker’ One Nation and Coalition ‘prey on’ economic insecurity
Luca Ittimani
Jim Chalmers has claimed rightwing political parties will “prey on” voter insecurities about a worsening economy while championing “anti-worker” policies.
The treasurer previewed Labor’s economic attack lines for the next election campaign in an interview from the party’s national conference in Adelaide with 7.30 last night. Chalmers claimed One Nation, the Liberal party and the Nationals did not have plans that would ease the pressure on workers. He said:
We’re actually acting to do something about it … our political opponents, they seek to prey on those pressures and those anxieties that people feel, at the same time as their anti-worker agenda would make things worse rather than better.
Chalmers said real wages had grown for most of the past two-and-a half years, the government had cut taxes “five times in three different ways” and unemployment was low.
But real incomes are set to decline, with high inflation meaning workers are set to have less money left over after they pay for essentials. Asked how he would address declining real wages, Chalmers said:
We’ve done a whole range of things to boost wages in our economy because, deliberately, we believe that one of the best ways to help with these cost-of-living pressures is to make sure that people are paid decent wages. That’s been our [Labor’s] reason for being for more than a hundred years.
You can read about how economic pessimism is helping One Nation here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before your regular blogger takes the reins.
Jim Chalmers has claimed rightwing political parties will “prey on” voter insecurities about a worsening economy while championing “anti-worker” policies. It comes as markets are now expecting another rate hike by the end of the year. He also continues to push back at rank and file Labor members’ calls for a new tax on gas exports, saying the government had “other priorities” for reform. More coming up.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia has said it is alarmed that Saudi Arabia could use its uranium enrichment deal with the US to build nuclear weapons. More details soon.
