The federal government has downplayed concerns Malcolm Turnbull’s foray into US-Australia relations might hurt the nation’s chances of getting an exemption from trade tariffs.
“Malcolm Turnbull is not a member of the government,” minister Amanda Rishworth said of the ex-Liberal prime minister on Tuesday.
“Our government is absolutely focused on making sure that we are standing up for Australian exporters.”
Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie sidestepped questions on whether Mr Turnbull’s views on US President Donald Trump could wreck Australia’s exemption chances, flipping the focus to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“The prime minister has one job and that is to get an exemption,” she told Nine’s Today program.
Mr Trump publicly criticised Mr Turnbull as he weighs up whether or not to give Australia an exemption from US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
The spray happened on the social media platform Truth Social, which is owned by Trump Media, on Monday afternoon (AEDT) after Mr Turnbull gave a critical interview to the Bloomberg news service.
“Malcolm Turnbull, the former Prime Minister of Australia who was always leading that wonderful country from “behind”, never understood what was going on in China, nor did he have the capacity to do so,” the president wrote.
“I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously, Australian’s (sic) agreed with me!!!”
Mr Turnbull lost the prime ministership in a party leadership spill and was not voted out by the public.
Mr Turnbull returned fire on Monday night, telling ABC TV Australia had to be realistic about the impact Mr Trump was having “on the world, on the Western alliance, on markets, on our economies”.
The former prime minister warned against Australia joining a “conga line of sycophants creeping through the White House, paying homage to this guy, telling him he’s a genius”.
“The reality is, if you suck up to bullies, whether it’s the global affairs, or in the playground, you just get more bullying,” Mr Turnbull told the 7.30 program.
“And unfortunately, we are now seeing somebody that is utterly unconstrained, and if the advice is to go and suck up to him, where does that get you?”
He warned China would take advantage of Mr Trump’s “erratic” behaviour.
“They’ll play a very different game to what they did in the first Trump administration,” he said.
Mr Turnbull has previously said the US president was unpredictable and could not be trusted to take military action if Australia was attacked.
He also said he didn’t believe the president would go to war with China if it invaded Taiwan.
Mr Trump hasn’t said whether he will exempt Australia from the tariffs, with a decision expected within days.
Mr Albanese has said his government would continue to engage “constructively” with the Trump administration.
“We are partners with the United States through our free trade agreement, and we’ll continue to advocate for Australia’s national interest,” he said in Lismore on Monday before the president’s social media post.
Australia is arguing it should get an exemption because it imports more from the US than it exports – the same successful argument Mr Turnbull used when he was prime minister during Mr Trump’s first term.
Byย Tess Ikonomouย in Canberra
