Issues sometimes "come at you", Anthony Albanese declared on Thursday at the end of a news conference, held at Canberra's National Situation Room, about Cyclone Alfred.

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The cyclone is a disaster for millions of people in its path. For the Prime Minister, it is a major political disruptor.

Albanese cancelled his visit to Western Australia: he'd wanted to be there when Labor has its anticipated certain win at Saturday's election.

His own election planning - which seemed headed for an April 12 election called this weekend - has been thrown into some disarray (although this is contested by those involved).

Then there was the good news that was crowded out. Wednesday's national accounts finally showed some of the much hoped-for positive trends, especially an end to the per capita recession, which had been running for seven consecutive quarters. But with the cyclone naturally dominating attention, who noticed?

Albanese's response to the new circumstances was to place himself at the centre of the planning for the cyclone. He stood side by side with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli at his news conference on Wednesday and was early to the Situation Room on Thursday and Friday.

To questions about whether he'd abandoned any thought of calling an election at the weekend, the PM insisted (unconvincingly) that politics was furthest from his mind. The truth was, he was waiting to see if the weather would close that option or still allow a visit to the governor-general.

The cyclone will be a passing disruptor. The disruption from the Trump administration will be with Australia (and the world) for the foreseeable future.

Next week, Australia will know whether its intense lobbying for an exemption from the US tariffs on aluminium and steel has been effective. Those around the government are not optimistic.

More concerning than the immediate impact on Australia if we fail to win the exemption is the effect of US protectionism more generally.

Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser confirmed this week that "from a macroeconomic perspective, Australia's direct exposure to US tariffs........

© Canberra Times