QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator PAYMAN (Western Australia) (14:51): We've heard those talking points before. Ultimately, as with all issues this government considers, it comes back to domestic politics. Leaving geopolitics aside, the Trump administration has shown it will impose tariffs on countries that it believes have slighted the US.

Will the minister admit that their silence on Trump's recent actions stems from the bone-chilling fear that he will slap tariffs on Australian goods just months before an election?