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Key Points
- Anthony Albanese has called on Australians to buy local products.
- Canadians are boycotting some US goods and road trips.
- US tariffs on Chinese steel will hurt Australia more, an expert says.
Elon Musk’s involvement with the US administration and support of Germany’s far-right political party AFD appears to have angered potential Tesla customers in Europe. Sales of the electric vehicle brand are down sharply across the continent with Germany reporting a 76 per cent fall in February.
So, how effective is it to buy Australian goods and is it possible to avoid US goods and services altogether?
Intricately woven supply chain
“If you’re buying something that’s Australian-made and Australian-owned then you’ve got a much better chance of knowing what’s in it.”
“But then consumer must ask themselves, do you necessarily want to be supporting the number one competitor of Tesla, which is Chinese company BYD?”
According to the UN COMTRADE database Australia imports from the US totalled US$34.72 billion ($55.15 billion) in 2024.
Australian tariffs ‘irrelevant’
He said this would actually hit Australians.
Leany described tariffs as a blunt instrument. “They usually hurt the people you’re not intending to hurt, and they don’t necessarily hurt the people you’re trying to hurt,” he said.
