1 week Ago By Andrew Brown
A second Donald Trump presidency probably won't threaten the future of the AUKUS deal, experts say. Login or signup to continue reading After Mr Trump's comeback election victory, concerns emerged that the multibillion-dollar agreement, which would see Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the US, could be jeopardised. However, Australia chair at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies Charles Edel says the incoming president will likely keep AUKUS intact.
"AUKUS looks like a deal (Trump) should be able to get behind. Not only is Australia investing in the United States but this is a classic example of allies doing more for themselves and alongside the United States," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. "Trump himself has not ever said anything publicly about AUKUS and he will be a deciding factor on this.
So it depends and it depends how well Australia can prosecute its case to Trump." Under the AUKUS deal, the US will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia from the early 2030s, ahead of new submarines being built. AUKUS was one of the topics discussed between Mr Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday, the first conversation between the two since the US election.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the election of Mr Trump did not mean a shift in Australia's plans towards net-zero emissions, with the Republican signalling he would pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement. "It won't stop the global investment shift, which is very much in the direction of net zero technology, whether that's in energy or in vehicles," he told Sky News on Sunday. "We'll continue our case for global investment to come to Australia because we have some of the best solar resources on the planet.
" Mr Butler said the Trump victory showed voters wanted governments to tackle cost-of-living issues as the biggest priority. "Households (are) expressing a very clear view that they want their governments focused on them, they want their governments doing everything they responsibly can to help them," he said. The incoming president has been invited to the White House to meet with Joe Biden on Wednesday, US time, with the incumbent promising a peaceful transition of power.
Mr Butler says the relationship between Australia and the US will endure, regardless of the who is in the White House. However he said Australia's economy might be impacted by Mr Trump's plans to impose tariffs. While Australian goods coming to the US may not be affected, tariffs applied to products from other countries could have flow-on effects.
"The greater concern we have about any impact of that sort of change on Australia's economic interests is a more indirect impact about what it might do to global growth, to slow global growth even further, potentially to lift inflationary pressures in the global economy," Mr Butler said. "That would have more a knock-on effect on Australia, rather than a direct change to the US-Australia trading arrangements." Opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar says the US election result has sent a clear message.
"If we look at the electorate in the United States and the cost-of-living issues they were dealing with, it's pretty clear Australians are dealing with it at a much worse level," he told Sky News. "It sends a very strong message to this government. This government has been very distracted.
" While past comments from the prime minister critical of Mr Trump emerged following the US election, Mr Sukkar said he hoped the relationship between the two countries would strengthen. "The United States and Australia alliance transcends leaders, it transcends political parties," he said. "We wish the prime minister the best and hope he can do a little bit better than he's done in the past.
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