Murray Olds: Australian correspondent on Australia lifting the ban on US beef

Over in Australia, the Government's denying their move to lift restrictions on imports of US beef is not related to President Trump's increasing tariff war.

The Government recently confirmed that the Department of Agriculture would allow the imports into Australia, saying the US now 'effectively' manages the biosecurity risks. 

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the Opposition has raised questions about this move. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Murrayol's or Ossie correspondents with us heymaz.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Chio Bellaheather, A very good afternoon to you.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
So why has Australia really dropped the ban on the beef?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well, I think it's pretty obvious. It's certainly to gain
favor in terms of the Trump administration which is threatening
all sorts of tariffs against Australia. Don Farrell, the Trade
Ministry you heard there, he says, there's nothing to see here,
basically mean look, American beef has been allowed into Australia
since twenty nineteen. The band that was in place until

(00:32):
now related only to beef sourced from Mexico and from Canada,
slaughtered in the United States and then shipped to Australia
and around the world. The government says there's been no
compromise at all in terms of biosecurity rules. And these rules, obviously,
like New Zealand, in place for decades to stop any
threat of importing diseases that could devastate the agricultural industries

(00:56):
of both our countries. Also, and it's got nothing to
do the peasing President Trump. Oh really, it's been a
long time coming. The blanket band lifted, as I say
in twenty ninety the opposition over here says this and
many questions have to be answered and independent review must
be done. But Australian beef farmers are saying, guess what,
it's no big deal. Pull it's in. There won't be

(01:18):
a flood of American beef. It'll be poorer quality and
more expensive. So are we going to be buying that?
I mean, Australian beef's bloody well, dear enough as it is.
You go, you know, you go to the supermarket and
try and buy some decent steak. You go to the
butcher's good luck leg of lamb's about forty Australian dollars
these days, so you know, like a sudden beef roast
about forty bucks as well defeat a family. So look,

(01:40):
Australian it's good quality. Doesn't matter which way the government
was to cut it. It's clearly designed in my view,
to appease the Trump administration and try to gain a
bit of a bit of traction in these negotiations about tariff.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, you make a very good point there. Now what
do you make of Scomo talking about China?

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, it's not unrelated to the whole question about Australian beef.
I mean, Morrison's appeared before the US House Committee on
China and basically the message from Scott Morrison, he's warning alliance,
alliances and partnerships that Washington has with other nations around
the world like Australia, these alliances and partnerships have got
to be strengthened, not diminished, to better resist Chinese and

(02:20):
I'm quoting here Chinese economic coercion. Now Morrison, of course
was Prime Minister here twenty eighteen to twenty twenty two.
He was in charge when COVID broke out, and he's
told the committee that Australia was basically singled out for
punishment by Beijing because it was an American ally, not
because he demanded an independent international inquiry. And where COVID

(02:42):
came from. He says a China belted Australia with illegal
trade bands, diplomatic estrangement, basically put us in the deep
freeze in terms of Australian exports of wine, you know,
all the stuff that it still brought a truckload of
Australian iron ore and coal because it needed all of
those things. But no beef, no wine. That's sort of

(03:03):
twenty billion dollars worth of lobsters and wine and all
the rest of the stuff in australiaselves to China anyway.
Scott Morrison says, listen, that was my experience as Prime
Minister under labor. Beijing has changed tac since Albanese has
been elected. Charm and flattery of China's weapons of choice,
not just for Australia, he says, Beijing is trying to
influence public opinion right around the world and Western democracies. Morrison,

(03:27):
I loved this. He said you've got to stand up
with your mates and resist coercion. So I mean whether
or not the US House a committee on China listens
to him, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Good stuff. Thanks so much, muz, look after yourself. Marry
Old's Australia correspondent.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
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