Beyond thinking
- 09 Apr 2025
Geese and a cow graze on a roadside unaffected by a passing car near a former convict barracks on Norfolk Island, Australia. File/AP
Like quite a few Australians, I have holidayed on Norfolk Island, a very small island about 1600km from Australia. It is a beautiful island, with a horrific history as a cruel penal colony and its only real industry is tourism. It however has been hit with a 29% tariff, by American President Donald Trump, on non-existent exports. There are a number of other such islands. There are many that find the new tariffs offensive, inappropriate, unnecessary but in this case just plain stupid. How many other Trump-led initiatives will be regarded in the same way? I think the fourth category will poll the highest.
Dennis Fitzgerald,
Melbourne, Australia