Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Calgary, Canada, for the G7 summit and commenced his visit with a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Albanese highlighted Canada as Australia’s eighth largest investor, expressing optimism for future growth in this economic partnership. The leaders also discussed enhancing defence cooperation, focusing on Canada’s interest in acquiring Australian ‘over the horizon’ radar technology.
Australia is participating in the G7 as an “outreach partner,” a status it has retained in recent years. Albanese confirmed an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, marking their first face-to-face engagement. He anticipated discussions would centre around Australia-US relations, including the ongoing review of the AUKUS security pact and tariff issues.
Albanese reiterated his stance on tariffs, describing them as “economic self-harm” and voiced hopes that the US will reassess its position on tariffs concerning aluminium and steel, as there have been no new production facilities in the US since January.
The Prime Minister articulated the benefits of the AUKUS pact for all three nations involved—Australia, the US, and the UK—emphasising that it supports US industrial capacity and enhances naval capabilities by facilitating submarine operations via Australian maintenance facilities.
During the summit, Albanese is also expected to engage with other world leaders, furthering discussions on shared challenges and collaborations.