We did have a deal on aluminium sales to US, says Don Farrell

Trade Minister Don Farrell has conceded there was a ‘ceiling’ on Australian aluminium exports to the US.

Trade Minister Don Farrell. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Trade Minister Don Farrell has conceded there was a “ceiling” on Australian aluminium exports to the US, as he seeks a carve-out from US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

The comments came after the Trump administration accused Australia of breaching a “verbal undertaking” on the volume of aluminium exports to the US.

The Coalition on Thursday demanded Anthony Albanese go to the US to meet Mr Trump following accusations by a White House adviser, Peter Navarro, that Australia was “killing” US aluminium.

“Australia’s a very small importer of both steel and aluminium to the United States compared to its other trading partners … but that information really needs to find its way to President Trump,” opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said.

“I don’t think that’s going to be done, I’m sceptical that’s going to be done over the phone by the Prime Minister.”

Senator Farrell on Thursday appeared to admit there was a ceiling but this was amended following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I understand that there’s a ceiling to how much we export to the United States,” Senator Farrell told the ABC. “Of course, in the middle of all of this, you had the Russia-Ukraine war and I understand that because of difficulties in arrangements between getting Russian aluminium into the United States we increased the amount of aluminium that we supplied into the American market.

“But all of that was done with the full knowledge of the American government. We haven’t done, at any stage, that the American government has not been comfortable with.”

Senator Farrell also said this “verbal undertaking” was a matter for former prime minister Scott Morrison and then-trade minister Simon Birmingham.