AUSTRALIA – FOREIGN RELATIONS – UNITED STATES

Turnbull slams secrecy over AUKUS demands

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 10-Dec-25

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated after the annual AUSMIN talks that his nation is seeking "practical, realistic" ways to improve AUKUS alliance. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Richard Marles says the federal government is still "working through" the Pentagon’s review of the alliance, which is believed to have recommended a number of changes. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull contends that Marles should reveal details of the changes that the US has requested before the government makes its next $US1bn AUKUS downpayment. Turnbull adds that there is still a real possibility that Australia will not receive any Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines.

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UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

Albanese hits critical mass

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 22-Oct-25

The $US8.5bn ($13bn) critical minerals framework agreement between Australia and the US will result in each country contributing at least US$1bn to critical minerals and rare earths projects over the next six months. They include a gallium project in Western Australia and the Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says the AUKUS alliance will be a "deterrence" to Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. Trump contends that AUKUS will not be needed to defend Taiwan, because he does not think China will invade the self-governed territory. Trump has also ruled out reviewing the current tariffs on Australian imports, stating that the nation "pays among the lowest tariffs"; this includes a baseline tariff of 10 per cent and a 50 per cent levy on steel and aluminium products

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Miners hail end of China grip

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 22-Oct-25

Arafura Rare Earths’ CEO Darryl Cuzzubbo says the $US8.5bn ($13bn) critical minerals deal between Australia and the US is the biggest step toward breaking China’ stranglehold on the sector. The deal includes a framework for US taxpayers to acquire stakes in Australian rare earths and critical minerals assets. Arafura itself will receive up to $US300m from the US Export-Import Bank to advance its Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory, while the federal government will invest another $US100m in the project. Meanwhile, Cuzzubbo says Arafura is about three years away from producing neodymium and praseodymium.

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ARAFURA RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX ARU, EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES

US interested in critical minerals deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 15-Oct-25

Trade Minister Don Farrell recently met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Malaysia; he says Greer indicated that the US is interested in striking a deal with Australia regarding critical minerals. The issue is set to be a key issue on the agenda when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds talks with President Donald Trump at the White House next week. The federal government remains hopeful that it can use critical minerals as ‘leverage’ in tariff negotiations. The US has imposed a 50 per cent tariffs on Australia’s aluminium and steel imports, and the baseline tariff of 10 per cent on other imports.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE

China, critical minerals dominate Quad agenda

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Jul-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese still hopes to have his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders’ meeting later this year. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s executive director Justin Bassi say the Quad meeting must address issues such as China’s "coercive conduct" in the Indo-Pacific region and the nation’s dominance of global critical minerals supply. These issues are also expected to be discussed at this week’s Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington DC.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED

PM flags India as next chance for Trump meeting

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Jul-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted on Monday that there is a lot of interest as to when he will have his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump. It had been suggested that the earliest they might meet is in the US in late September, when Albanese addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but Albanese suggested that they could meet at the annual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting between the leaders of the US, Japan, India and Australia; no date has yet been set for this meeting, but reports from India suggest that it could be held in early September. A meeting with Trump will give Albanese the chance to make Australia’s case on defence spending and tariffs.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED NATIONS

PM blowing up our defence hopes

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Jul-25

The federal government struck a deal with the Biden administration in 2024 to purchase $7bn worth of guided missiles for its fleet of warships. However, the deal has yet to receive final approval from the White House, and there are fears that the Trump administration could redirect the consignment of missiles to a US ally that is willing to meet its demands regarding defence spending. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is continuing to resist pressure from the US to increase defence expenditure to 3.5 per cent of GDP; he is adamant that the government will stick with its target of just 2.3 per cent by 2033.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

AUKUS under threat as Trump launches review

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

The US Department of Defense has confirmed that it will undertake a review of the AUKUS alliance with Australia and the UK. The Pentagon says the review will aim to ensure that the alliance is in the best interests of the US and that it aligns with the ‘America First’ agenda of President Donald Trump. The review is expected to be led by defence official Elbridge Colby, who has been a notable critic of AUKUS in the past; amongst other things, he has previously stated that the alliance’s benefits and viability is "questionable". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to come under pressure to obtain a firm commitment to AUKUS from Trump if the two leaders meet on the sidelines of the upcoming G7 summit in Canada.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

No rush to strike a tariff deal with volatile Trump

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Original article by Cameron Stewart
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-May-25

Australia is among more than 50 countries that hope to negotiate a better tariffs arrangement with the Trump administration in the wake of the global turmoil caused by the so-called ‘Liberation Day’ in early April. Australia failed to receive an exemption from the baseline tariff of 10 per cent and a tariff of 25 per cent on steel and aluminium exports, despite being one of the few countries that has a trade surplus with the US. However, government officials have indicated that Labor will adopt a "wait and see" approach, and assess the outcome of other countries’ negotiations with the US before seeking a deal on tariffs.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Leaders to resist Trump on China

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, Simon Benson, Ben Packham, Will Glasgow
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Apr-25

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar has called on the federal government to not give in to possible demands from the Trump administration to impose trade restrictions on China. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government’s view is that free and fair trade is a good thing, and that Australia’s trade relationship with China is an important one. Opposition leader Peter Dutton says Australia needs to have a strong trading relationship with China, while Trade Minister Don Farrell has restarted negotiations with the European Union on a free-trade agreement.

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AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE