Australian Prime minister Anthony Albanese promised on Wednesday to defend the interests of Australia in his commercial dispute with the United States, during a television debate upstream of the national elections of May 3.
“We will defend the national interest of Australia,” said the prime minister of the left center against his conservative rival, the former policeman Peter Dutton.
The 10% customs duties imposed by President Donald Trump on Australia, however a close ally, weighed heavily in this televised duel.
Asked about the confidence he gives to the American president, Albanese said that he had “no reason not to trust him”, although Mr. Trump promised to take “seriously into consideration” of Canberra’s commercial arguments before deciding to impose customs duties.
But Albanese said that his government “would not yield” on policies guaranteeing access to cheap drugs, applying health rules on beef imports and forcing large social media platforms to remunerate Australian media for the use of their content.
Mr. Albanese’s Labor Party has gone slightly in the lead in recent polls, which some analysts attribute to his criticism of American customs duties, which he described as “unworthy gesture on the part of a friend”.
Asked about the subject, Mr. Dutton replied: “We trust in the United States. And I don’t know the president. I have never met him. »»
The head of the Australian opposition said, however, that his conservative coalition had contacts at the White House which would allow him to open negotiations concerning customs duties.
-“We should do everything to strengthen our relationship, so that our two countries are stronger together,” he said.
“We have always been alongside America in each conflict. It is an exceptional relationship. “, He said.
In terms of defense, the Prime Minister denied having developed emergency plans in the event that the Trump administration is withdrawing from the American-British-Australian agreement intended to provide the Australian navy with stealth nuclear submarines.
The so-called Aukus agreement “is in the interest of the United States,” he said.
The two camps have promised measures to control the cost of living, which appears at the top of the concerns of voters according to the surveys.
Their greatest divergence relates to the policy of fighting climate change.
Voting has been compulsory in Australia since 1924.
The registered voters who do not vote to receive a fine of approximately 20 Australian dollars (or about 12 US dollars, 11 euros). The participation rate usually exceeds 90%.
