TRANSCRIPT
Anthony Albanese has been trying to score points with the Australian public ...
... but he's being blocked by issues from overseas.
On the eve of more tariff announcements on what the United States President is calling 'Liberation Day', the Trump administration has released an annual report containing a list of grievances with Australia.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn't detail what's to come for Australia.
"I'll let the President make the announcement on Wednesday, but I think any country that has treated American people unfairly should expect to receive a tariff in return."
The report says Australia's biosecurity laws, aimed at preventing pests and diseases from entering the country, are a barrier for imports of American goods like beef, pork, chicken, apples, and pears.
It also cites issues with Australia's treatment of pharmaceutical patents and the news bargaining code, which requires tech platforms to pay news organisations for their content.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there are some things he won't compromise on.
"Those issues are not up for negotiation from the Australian Government. We will defend Australia's interests. The idea that we would weaken bio-security laws is - as my mum would say - cutting off your nose to spite your face. In order to defend the exports that total less than 5 per cent of Australia's exports, you undermine our bio-security system? Not on my watch."
Mr Albanese hasn't spoken to the US president on the phone since February.
"We're putting forward a position. What happens is that phone calls come together when things are agreed. I have very clearly indicated, Australia is not negotiating over the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We're not negotiating over the news bargaining code. We won't undermine our biosecurity."
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has once again offered his views.
"This is one of the reasons people voted for him, because they felt that he was on their side, okay? And that's the challenge for our leaders, and they've got to be able to stand up. And if that means you get a brickbat (criticism) or a Truth Social post, you know, saying 'you're weak and ineffectual, you don't know anything about China, China' ... If you're spooked by that you shouldn't be in the job."
The Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, is positioning himself as the best person to represent Australia on the international stage.
Reporter (Anna): "If Australia doesn't get a tariff exemption, who will you see as being to blame? Albanese or Donald Trump?"
"Well, the President of the United States is going to stand up for America, I'm going to stand up for Australia. And it seems that the Prime Minister isn't able to stand up for our national security. He isn't able to stand up for home buyers. He isn't able to stand up families, and he isn't able to stand up against people who are trying to do a deal that's not in our country's best interests."
Yesterday, the Prime Minister confirmed a Chinese vessel was travelling around Australia.
Reporter: "Do you have concerns about it Mr Albanese?"
"Of course I'd prefer that it wasn't there. But we live in circumstances where just as Australia has vessels in the South China Sea and vessels in the Taiwan Strait and a range of areas this vessel is there. What our task is to do is to make sure that we represent Australia's national interests. We do that each and every day. And I have every confidence in our Defence Force and our security agencies to do just that."
Mr Dutton told Newcastle commercial radio 2HD more could be done.
"I think there are significant assets that we can deploy to provide a projection of our own force, etc, to make sure that we call out the behaviours. The mapping of undersea cables, which is what's taking place at the moment with that vessel, is something that the Prime Minister should be explaining to the Australian people, why is the ship doing that?"
Peter Dutton, a former policeman, has been raising community safety during his time in Melbourne, hosting a crime roundtable with the Liberal candidate for Bruce.
He announced more cuts to what he sees as wasteful government spending, saying he'd scrap $2 billion in federal funding for Melbourne’s contentious multi-billion dollar Suburban Rail Loop.
Mr Dutton says the larger rail project is unrealistic.
"It's a $200 billion policy which is pie in the sky (unrealistic). It's not going to happen. And Anthony Albanese is joined at the hip with (aligned with Vic Premier) Jacinta Allan on that project."
And he says he'll narrow the commonwealth government spend to the rail connection to Melbourne Airport.
"This will take traffic off the road. It will bring Melbourne up to the same status as many of the freight airports across the world, including here in Australia."
The Prime Minister says that's not how the project works.
"They have announced today cutting for funding, which will be about delivering a railway line to the airport, and said it's about delivering a railway line to the airport."
Labor has been keeping health on top of the agenda in Adelaide - pledging $150 million for a new ‘state of the art’ healthcare precinct to boost the South Australian health workforce.
