Australia to stand up for national interests on US tariffs says PM Albanese

SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his rival in a May election, Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton, said they would stand up for the countrys national interests in the face of looming U.S. tariffs that could hit Australian beef.

Australia has a trade surplus with the United States, and a free trade agreement that allows duty-free entry for U.S. exports. Albanese has said his government wont retaliate against the Trump Administration with reciprocal tariffs.

Toughening his language in an election campaign, Albanese said on Wednesday he would stand up for Australian interests, and would not compromise on Australian regulations that are likely to be targeted by the United States.

Opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton similarly told reporters: My job is to stand up for Australians.

If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader to advance our nations interests, Id do it in a heartbeat, Dutton said in a Sky News Australia interview.

Albanese said he wont compromise on three key areas likely to be targeted, after they were listed in a report on foreign trade barriers released a day earlier by the United States Trade Representative.

We wont compromise on our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, on our biosecurity or our Media Bargaining Code, he said.

The report listed Australias ban on U.S. fresh beef products, in place since bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in U.S. cattle in 2003.

Albanese said Australia was not prepared to change its strict biosecurity controls on meat, because it could do enormous damage to our meat products.

Australia and the United States are among the worlds largest beef exporters, and a recent slump in U.S. beef production opened the door for Australia to export record amounts of meat last year, growing its market share in