Donald Trump’s top trade official has raised concerns with his Labor counterpart Don Farrell about a failure to compensate American investors for the cancellation of a corruption-tainted NSW coal mining licence a decade ago, as the Albanese government lobbies the US administration for an exemption from potential retaliatory tariffs.

The long-running complaint about the NSW government’s failure to consider compensation for institutional investors in a Hunter Valley coal mine was raised on a call last week between US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Farrell, according to a source with knowledge of the discussion who asked to remain anonymous.