Steve Price: Australia Correspondent on Australia's possible exemption from the Steel and Aluminium tariffs

There are contradictory statements from Donald Trump, who says there will be no exceptions to the steel and aluminium tariffs, but seems open to treating Australia differently.  

The US President's signed off on 25% tariffs for all steel and aluminium imports, but yesterday Australia's Prime Minister spoke to Trump, who assured him he'd consider exempting Australia.  

Trump says Anthony Albanese is a very fine man, and luckily for Australia, it buys a lot of US planes.  

He says Australia is one of the only countries which has a surplus with the US, which he'll give great consideration to. 

Australia Correspondent Steve Price told Mike Hosking the ball is firmly in the US’ court. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the big red land to our left, see price.
Very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good morning morning.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
I reckon elbow has been sucked in, don't you.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, he had a very interesting day yesterday, didn't he.
I mean he rushed to the phone. It was a
pre arranged call, President Trump. So let's get that up front.
And I mean, this call didn't come about because the
tariff's got slapped on and suddenly now Anthony Albanize wanted
to argue our case. It was a pre arranged call.
Lasted forty minutes. The President post the call called Anthony

(00:30):
Albaniz he quote, a very fine man, but then proceeded
not long after via his department that's actually going to
work out whether Australia gets exemption on these tariffs or not,
to say, well, hang on a minute. Australia is threatening
US national security. They've allowed all this aluminum into the country.
They've gone well past what they said they were the

(00:51):
expert to us by one hundred percent. So the ball
is now firmly back in the US court. I mean,
we know what happens here. Donald Trump. He signs these
presidential orders and then the department gets to work in
the background. Most of the diplomats I saw Mike yesterday
talked about this said, look, we're at stage one, we're
on the ground floor. We're not out of the woods yet.

(01:14):
This is going to take a long time. It's going
to take a lot of convincing and we're not sure
that Australia will end up actually being exempt on steel
and adaminium going into the US. And that's an interesting
aspect because the prime ministers really come straight out, stood
out in the Prime Minister who courtyard and crowed about
the call, basically saying we're going to be exempt. Well,

(01:35):
it's going to be very embarrassing for him if that
doesn't happen, particularly given that that law happened during the
lead up to an election.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Couldn't agree more. We'll come back to the election in
just a moment. Sam Kerr, I think I suggested to you.
I read a piece yesterday in one of the papers
Jeffrey Robinson wrote it should never have been in court.
It was and she's been found not guilty. But the
bigger question is this, as so often as the case,
so much bigger than it needed to be, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
But the reputational damage to Sam Kerr, you can't calculate that.
I read Robertson's column and his sentiment is probably correct.
I mean, there's a lot more important things in the
UK justice system I would have thought to be dealing
with than Sam Kerb. But what it's done, and this
is the debate we're having in this country. This woman's

(02:20):
the captain of the Matilda's, the national soccer team. She's
the most highly paid female soccer stuff probably in the
world place with Chelsea hasn't played for a year because
of a knee injury. But what she showed on that
night where she abused a copper refused to pay a
cab driver was a level of privilege that most people

(02:41):
feel uncomfortable with. I mean, I'd never thrown up in
the back of a taxi, but I can understand how
it might happen. I've never been in a cab locked
and driven to a police station, and yes, I'd be agitated.
Would I be libel as her partner did to kick
the back window out, No, I wouldn't, and then to
end up in court and all that body cam footage.

(03:02):
She's got a long way to go back to get
back to the point where at one point I would
suggest to you. During the World Cup in this country,
she was the most popular Australian of all. She was
the Young Australian of the Year in twenty eighteen. She'd
been lauded by every politician up and down the country.
I just think today she seems like a bit of
a privileged superstar soccer player who's a bit of a

(03:27):
nasty piece of works.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
And here's what but here's how it works. I mean,
if all the Australian people or whoever it is, see
you kick a ball and score a goal, that's what
they think of you the moment they get to I
just think about this the other day with Grace Tame
and that T shirt, the if Murdock t shirt standing
next to Elban easy, the woman's Australian. You know, you
hand out the prizes and then all of a sudden, Ah,
is that what you really like? Eh?

Speaker 2 (03:49):
I think that's correct. And I don't know that Sam
Kirk could ever get it back to the position that
she was in during that World Cup. I think she's
very much tarnished and is now a debate going on
whether she should be given back to captaincy of the
Matilda's I don't think that'll happen. It's a bit like
Sam Papergate and Steve Smith. I mean it's very hard
to come back.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
That's exactly right. Now, take me to the lodge last
night drinks. What's going on?

Speaker 2 (04:14):
All the tills were invited. Now, these are the independents
who say they're not a party, but they are funded
by a climate two hundred and Simon homes a court. Suddenly,
out of the blue on a Monday Tuesday night, the
Prime Minister invites all of them to drinks at the lodge.
The invitation logged very late. Six point thirty was the

(04:36):
invitation time. It lasted for only an hour and a half.
You had people like Zoey Daniel and a Leegra Spender
and Zalie Stegel, all of them were there. Menique Ryan
and you can't see this in any other way than
the PM loading himself up with a drinks party at
the lodge. In the event that the election, which is

(04:59):
going to be hel now, I think it maybe sooner
rather than later, I must apologize the interest rate cover
this next Tuesday. I thought I said on Monday was yesterday.
It's next Tuesday. He's going to have to deal with
these people in a minority government. That's the most likely
outcome probably right now the election. So if you live
in the lodge and you're the PM and you want

(05:20):
to impress a bunch of people who you're going to
have to deal with if you have a hung Parliament,
what better way to do it than turn on some
Canterpase and champagne down at the lodge and the law.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Interesting, Hey, just quickly before you go. So I'm reading
yesterday about North Sydney and they're not the only one.
There's another council on Northern Beaches. I think North Sydney County.
How much of this is going on Australia generally eighty rates.
This is eighty seven percent over two years. What moron
thinks they can get away with that?

Speaker 2 (05:47):
I wish I hadn't raised it because I think what's
going to happen to here now is Victorian councilors are going
to look at this and go, well, you beauty. If
they can get away with it there, we can get
away with it here. North Sydney Council is a little
bit of an outlier because they decided to renovate that
beautiful swimming pool down on the edge of the harbor
next to Lunar Park and the thing's been going. The
renovation has been going for four years. That could take

(06:09):
four years. I don't know. I haven't got the exact
cost off the top of my head. That it's ballooned
out by more than two hundred percent the cost of it.
It's sending the council broke and they believe the only
way to do it is to up the rates by
that amount, which is outrageous. Northern Beaches of Sydney have
done the same thing. I think other councils will be
looking at this going new beauty. I think we can
do this, which is outrageous because from a Victorian point

(06:33):
of view, councils are repairing pot old roads. Your rubbish
collection might or might not happen. They don't do the
basic things they're supposed to do, and I think there'd
be complete revolution if they tried to do it in Melbourne.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
You're a good blake to see next week. Appreciate it
very much and I do recommend the Jeffrey Robinson peace
out of the Morning Herald yesterday. I was a London judge.
Sam Kerrz case should never have gone to trial. It's
a very very good example of how if you get
somebody who's a bit bitter and twisted, in this case,
a policeman, is somehow allowed to spend an astonishing amount
of the public's money on what essentially is a massive

(07:07):
waste of time. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
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