Heard Island and McDonald Islands—both uninhabited and home only to penguins—top a White House list of places facing new duties.
The small volcanic outcrops lie more than two weeks by boat off Australia’s western coast, yet were singled out for a 10% tariff—despite hosting no permanent human population or visible trade.
Other external Australian territories, including the distant Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, and Norfolk Island, will also see tariffs imposed, adding confusion over how these remote areas factored into Washington’s policy.
Norfolk Island, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) northeast of Sydney and home to roughly 2,200 people, was singled out for a higher 29% tariff—even though its administrator disputes there are any actual exports to the United States.
Data from the World Bank oddly suggest the U.S. imported goods worth over US$1 million from Heard and McDonald Islands in 2022, mostly “machinery and electrical” products, puzzling observers given the islands’ total lack of inhabitants or infrastructure.
Responding to the White House announcement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia found the move perplexing but added it reflected a broader principle.
“It exemplifies the fact that nowhere on earth is safe from this,” Albanese said.
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Source: CNN, The Guardian, Onet