The relationship between the US and Australia is strong, the defence minister insists, despite conflicting reports of whether he was snubbed by his American counterpart.
Richard Marles revealed his interactions with a number of US officials after returning from Washington DC earlier in the week.
While he mentioned meeting with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Mr Marles also mentioned it was fantastic to "see" Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday local time.
But on Thursday, a Pentagon official said there was no formal meeting between the defence minister and his US counterpart, describing their face-to-face as a "happenstance encounter".
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor asked Mr Marles if his encounter was just a "photo opportunity" or if the meeting had produced outcomes.
Mr Marles dismissed the question, labelling his opposition counterpart as "captain conspiracy".
"Presumably, those opposite (the coalition) think that the photos that have been published were magically generated by AI," the defence minister told parliament.
"I mean, those opposite are an absolute joke."
Mr Marles held a meeting with the defence secretary in June, when Mr Hegseth said Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
US demands have taken the spotlight in recent months after the Pentagon launched a review into the trilateral AUKUS pact, creating doubt over the future of Australia's nuclear submarines.
The threat of US tariffs has already taken a toll on the postal system after President Donald Trump unveiled a 10 per cent tariff on most Australian goods sent to America.
Australia Post has cancelled most services to the US, introducing a temporary ban on items worth more than $150.
The tariffs are expected to impact about 3000 small businesses in Australia and Trade Minister Don Farrell has raised the issue with his US counterpart.
"We've said to the Americans, 'firstly, we don't agree with what you've done, but if you're going to do it, then you've got to do it in a way that people can comply'," Senator Farrell told reporters.
