When US President Donald Trump turned up at the White House Rose Garden to announce what he described as "Liberation Day tariffs", several countries were prepared for some harsh measures. But little did anyone know that the President would subject even uninhabited islands to his wrath.
Apart from imposing a baseline 10 per cent tariff on all trade partners, the Trump administration's list also included the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. Yes, no one lives there.
The islands were included because they were Australian territory, Axios reported citing a White House official.
During his speech, Trump used a poster to display the countries and territories affected by the latest tariffs, with further information provided on printed sheets presented to reporters. One of the sheets stated the islands currently impose a 10% "Tariff to the USA", specifying in small print that this includes "currency manipulation and trade barriers." In retaliation, the United States has implemented "discounted reciprocal tariffs" at the same rate.
An informational guide to the islands on an Australian government website describes Heard and McDonald Islands as "one of the wildest and remotest places on Earth."
As per the Australian Antarctic Program, "It takes around 10 days, depending on the weather, to get to Heard Island by ship from the port of Fremantle, near Perth in Western Australia."
The islands are home to "penguin, seal and flying bird colonies, which include several species with conservation status at a national and international level."
The remote UNESCO World Heritage-listed Australian territory was on Trump's list of regions that would now incur at least 10% tariffs on US imports, along with mainland Australia.
They are uninhabited and have had no visit from people in nearly 10 years, The Guardian reported.
The decision prompted a reaction from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who said, "Nowhere on earth is safe".
In an X post, he wrote, "These are uncertain times - but all Australians can be certain of this. These tariffs are not unexpected, but they are unwarranted. Many other countries will be hit harder by today's decision than Australia - and no nation is better prepared than Australia."
Apart from Heard and McDonald Islands, among other Australian "external territories" on the tariff list were the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island.
Norfolk Island, with a population of 2,188 people, was hit with a 29% tariff, 19 percentage points higher than the rest of Australia.
