Trade minister Don Farrell says Australia is “absolutely disappointed” by a proposed United States tariff measure that could target countries accused of failing to prevent imports of goods allegedly made with slave labour.
Speaking at a press conference, Farrell revealed he raised Australia’s concerns directly with US trade representative Jamieson Greer during a meeting in Paris last Wednesday.
Farrell said he strongly opposed Australia’s inclusion in the proposed category and argued the classification was inappropriate.
“I’ve expressed to him how absolutely disappointed we are to have been included in this category,” Farrell said.
He added: “We do not believe that it’s appropriate to have Australia classified in this group.”
The minister said the US administration has not yet made a final decision on the proposal and that a determination is still weeks away.
Farrell said Australia will continue lobbying strongly against the measure during that period.
“In the intervening period, we’ll be processing our argument very strongly that we should not be in this category,” he said.
The proposal could reportedly result in Australia facing tariffs of up to 12.5% on certain exports if the measure is ultimately adopted by the United States.