‘I build relationships’: Albanese ready for crucial tariff negotiations with Trump

Anthony Albanese says his people skills will stand him in good stead when he sits down with Donald Trump in the Oval Office in coming weeks.

Anthony Albanese is confident his upcoming meeting with Donald Trump will go well.

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Anthony Albanese says his people skills will stand him in good stead when he sits down with Donald Trump in the Oval Office in coming weeks, in what looms as a pivotal meeting to plead Australia’s case for a tariff carve-out.

“I build relationships with people,” the Prime Minister told Sky News when asked how he would navigate the encounter.

“I have many friends in the business community, in the union movement, in civil society, groups that I’ve engaged with for a long period of time.

“I’m pretty upfront in how I engage with people and I’ve developed that as well on an international level.”

Mr Albanese will go into the meeting with a renewed mandate and fresh confidence following his election win and President Trump’s conciliatory sit-down with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week.

A soon-to-be announced trade deal between the US and Britain, teased by Mr Trump on his Truth Social network on Wednesday, will also set a positive tone for the talks.

The agreement will be the first of Mr Trump’s second term and comes as his administration progresses trade talks with India and Japan, and prepares for critical negotiations with China.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with Mr Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Picture: AP

Don Farrell, who hopes to be reappointed Trade Minister when Mr Albanese unveils his frontbench in coming days, is also preparing a diplomatic push to shore up Australia’s trade ties.

If he retains his job, as is widely expected, he is likely to attend the APEC trade ministers meeting in South Korea next Thursday for talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and rattled Asian counterparts whose economies could be ruined by Mr Trump’s tariff blitz.

Preparations are also under way for video conferences with new EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal to kickstart fresh negotiations on Australia-EU and Australia-India deals.

Australia is prepared to scrap the $5.2bn luxury car tax to secure a free-trade agreement with the EU if European negotiators offer a better deal for Australian agricultural exports than they did in 2023, when talks on a proposed FTA collapsed.

Senator Farrell, who spoke to Mr Sefcovic on election night, said he believed past roadblocks with the EU could be overcome.

“I have a sense that the mood has changed, certainly in Australia, but also in Europe,” he said.

“I’m very confident that with sensible discussions with this new man in the EU that we can make some progress and very quickly come to a settlement on a free-trade agreement.”

Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal meets Don Farrell in Adelaide last year.

Senator Farrell said he believed a deal with India was imminent.

“The Indians also contacted me. We were very close to a free-trade agreement with them, and I think we can move very quickly now to finalise that agreement,” he said.

The government is offering New Delhi priority access to Australia’s critical minerals and the nation’s labour market to get the agreement across the line.

Former European Commission deputy secretary-general Hervé Jouanjean sounded a note of caution on the prospects for an Australia-EU FTA.

He told The Australian that scrapping the luxury car tax might not be enough, especially if Victoria and Queensland retained their own versions of the tax.

“My personal view would be that something on cars would certainly be welcome but I am not sure that this will be enough to settle the whole negotiation,” he said.

The Prime Minister is expected to combine his upcoming visit to Washington with a trip to Canada for the G7 leaders summit, from June 11-13, which Mr Carney has invited him to attend. Mr Albanese will travel to Jakarta next week for talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Additional reporting: Matthew Cranston