What we learned, Wednesday 12 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. It’s been a day dominated by international affairs; here’s a wrap of the main events:
The White House confirmed a blanket 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports from US trading partners “with no exceptions”, scuttling Australia’s hopes of securing just that.
Anthony Albanese said Donald Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium were “not the actions of a friendly nation”.
Labor’s Ed Husic said of the same: “Let’s call a spade a spade. I think this is a dog act after over a century of friendship.”
The trade minister, Don Farrell, has said he believes the US never intended to give Australia an exemption to the tariffs.
The prime minister ruled out imposing reciprocal tariffs on the United States.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, criticised the prime minister, accusing him of failing to “deal with our trading partners effectively”.
Dutton said he believed Australia could “do a deal with the Trump administration” if there is a “change of government”.
The ASX fell more than 1% in the 15 minutes after it opened, in the wake of the Trump tariff announcement.
More than 4,000 properties in NSW are still without power in the wake of Cyclone Alfred.
Welfare organisations are again demanding the rate of jobseeker be lifted to 90% of the pension, from $56 to $74 a day.
Thank you so much for your company today. We’ll be back with you as usual at sun-up tomorrow with all Thursday’s news. Look after yourselves.
Updated
LNP denies using Cyclone Alfred as ‘cover’ to scrap mining lease objections review
Queensland’s government has denied using the “cover” of Tropical Cyclone Alfred to cancel a long-running review of the way objections to mining leases are handled by the state land court.
The Queensland Law Reform Commission had been conducting the independent review since June 2023, with recommendations due on 30 June.
On 4 March, with the cyclone bearing down on the state, the attorney general, Deb Frecklington, cancelled its reference, ending the process.
The opposition leader, Steven Miles, accused the government of “sneaking through these changes while the south-east is bunkered down under the cover of a cyclone warning”.
Read the full story here:
Updated
