Australian PM Rejects Trump’s 12.5 Percent Tariff Against Forced Labour-Made Goods

Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans previously pointed out that Chinese online retailers, like Temu, are not subject to local laws against slavery.

US President Donald Trump (R) and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese display an agreement on critical minerals they signed in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 20, 2025. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the federal opposition have rejected new 12.5 percent tariffs implemented by the Trump administration.

The duties were announced on June 2 and follow an investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) into 60 countries that have allegedly “failed to impose and effectively enforce” bans on goods made with forced labour.