Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on Australians to back local businesses by purchasing homegrown products, rallying behind “Team Australia” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports.
Instead of imposing retaliatory tariffs, which could drive up inflation, Albanese invoked “Team Australia” in a flurry of radio calls on Wednesday afternoon.
“Australians can have an impact by buying Australian goods,” Albanese told ABC Melbourne.
“Buy Bundy rather than some of the American products…You can make a difference,” he said, referring to Bundaberg Rum, a popular rum brand in Australia.
ABC quoted senior sources as saying the upcoming federal budget, to be announced in two weeks, would have an “Australian-made” focus, potentially introducing measures to increase the presence of local suppliers in government procurement contracts.
“We have (an) agenda that’s very much about our economic resilience and making more things here in Australia,” Albanese told Melbourne’s 3AW on Wednesday.
“What we need to do at times like this is have everyone back Team Australia,” he said.
Peter Dutton, the leader of Australia’s federal opposition party, in turn, labeled Albanese “weak and incompetent,” claiming he would negotiate a better deal. However, Labor officials have suggested the Trump administration never intended to grant exemptions this time, so further lobbying would not have changed the outcome.
Despite the setback, Albanese vowed to continue pushing for an exemption, noting that previous negotiations took nearly a year.