Overview
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet President Donald Trump in Washington on Oct. 20 for their first formal bilateral, with AUKUS, tariffs and critical minerals on the agenda.
- Officials say the Pentagon’s AUKUS review, launched in June, remains under way; Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy signaled it could be near completion, though Canberra continues to receive mixed messages on timing.
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers touted a “golden opportunity” for a US–Australia critical minerals partnership, and reporting indicates a mooted framework in which the US Department of War could invest directly in Australian projects, which has not been officially announced.
- Canberra has paid $1 billion toward AUKUS and plans another $1 billion shortly, as Conroy signed a statement of intent with the US Department of War and Lockheed Martin to begin building advanced missiles in Australia by Christmas.
- Australia is pressing for tariff relief as new polling shows many Australians view Trump’s term negatively yet still back the US alliance, while the opposition has urged Albanese to secure concrete outcomes on AUKUS, tariffs, the Quad and defence industry links.