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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Alan Vaarwerk

Afternoon Update: Australia spared Trump’s latest tariff hike; NSW’s wet weekend; and the library that loans tents and fog machines

A US flag flies off the stern of a tour boat at the Port of Los Angeles
The US president, Donald Trump, issued an executive order on tariffs but Australia’s rate remained unchanged. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Good afternoon. Australian goods imported into the US will continue to attract the baseline 10% tariff, with Australia dodging any tariff increase in the latest round of Donald Trump’s global trade war.

A new executive order issued on Friday morning Australian time confirmed tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on imports from dozens of countries and foreign locations, including 35% tariffs on Canada. The order stated that any countries not on the new list – such as Australia – would remain at a 10% tariff. Follow all the developments in our live blog.

The trade minister, Don Farrell, labelled Australia being spared a “vindication” of the Albanese government’s “cool and calm negotiations with our trading partners”.

Meanwhile, Labor insists drug prices under Australia’s pharmaceutical benefits scheme will not rise, despite Trump threatening a major crackdown on drug manufacturers who do not lower their US prices, and criticising nations “freeloading on US innovation”.

Top news

In video

With rising living costs, storage problems and an ever‑growing mountain of waste contributing to the climate crisis, why buy when you can borrow? Run by volunteers, the Sydney Library of Things has more than 700 mostly donated items in their catalogue. Members borrow via a click and collect system across four locations in Waverton, Lane Cove, Cromer and Randwick. Guardian Australia cadet Ima Caldwell went behind the scenes of the eclectic library’s Lane Cove and Waverton branches to learn how one might cook a new recipe, deep clean, go camping, have a beach day, garden, renovate or throw a party (yes, they have a fog machine) – without buying all the gear.

What they said …

***

“The reality is, we’ve had 18 years to make progress on Closing the Gap, but the same people and institutions are still in charge of deciding what we do and what changes are made. Where is the accountability? There is none.”

As the 25th Garma festival begins in north-east Arnhem Land, the Uluru Dialogue group, architects of the Uluru statement, have criticised a “performative” Albanese government for maintaining a status quo that neglects the rights of First Nations Australians. The comments came a day after the latest Closing the Gap data showed key targets continuing to worsen, with just four of 19 measures on track to be met.

Podcast

From Palestine to jobseeker and keeping children safe online: Tanya Plibersek on Labor’s tough calls – Australian Politics podcast

Tanya Plibersek, one of Labor’s most recognisable political figures and the minister for social services, joins us as the government faces big decisions at home and abroad. Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy speaks to her about the push to recognise Palestinian statehood, the jobseeker rate and the urgent fight to keep children safe online.

Listen to the episode here

Before bed read

Dominic Field first appeared in a Wiggles video when he was two. Thirty years on, he is the Tree of Wisdom, whose wild dancing, with hip thrusts, mad shimmying and the occasional worm, has taken both the world’s stages and TikTok by storm, inspiring thousands of copycats – from giggling parents to US college kids on a night out. As Field tells Guardian Australia’s Sian Cain, “when you’re singing about hot potatoes, it’s really hard to have a bad day”.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: LED. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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