Coronavirus Australia: PM lobbies world leaders for high-power probe into virus source

Scott Morrison is pushing for an investigative body to be given the powers of an international ­“weapons inspector”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks by video with patients and medical workers at a hospital in Wuhan in March. China and Russia are likely to try to stymie the push for a WHO probe. Picture: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP

Australia will push for the World Health Organisation or another investigative body to be given the powers of an international ­“weapons inspector” that could enter a country without invitation to trace the source of pandemic outbreaks.

It is understood Scott Morrison raised the idea with world leaders in recent days while seeking a consensus for reform of the WHO.

The push to overhaul the global health body comes as China ramped up attacks on the government’s most senior ministers over calls for an inter­national review into the corona­virus crisis and greater trans­parency from the communist nation.

Strengthening the case for reform of the WHO was the Ebola crisis, which led to a raft of recommendations for reform of the ­organisation, none of which was adopted. And while there appeared to be agreement among Western nations for an overhaul at the upper levels of the WHO, there were no firm proposals for a mechanism for a review other than it had to be externally driven.

It is believed the Prime Minister wants to prioritise WHO reform because a global review into the origins of the pandemic could take up to five years.

Anthony Albanese said he supported Mr Morrison’s proposal and hoped he raised objections to the US defending of WHO when he spoke to President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

“It’s the only structure that could possibly get to the bottom of this … I support Scott Morrison’s call for the WHO to be able to go in un­fettered. It should have access to any records that it wishes to see,” he told ABC News. “I wonder whether Scott Morrison raised this with Donald Trump … it’s not in the world’s interests to undermine the WHO.”

Head of the Australian National University’s National Security College Rory Medcalf said Australia should pursue giving weapons inspector-style powers to global health bodies but China and Russia would likely try to stymie that. “We need to see this as ­creative middle-power diplomacy and an attempt to empower the global institution,” he said. “In the past, Australia has supported weapons inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention and even China has been on board with this.

“It is an idea worth advocating but we also need to be realistic about how it will be received. Such inspections are likely to be vetoed by China and Russia. At least those vetos will expose China’s true policy towards global transparency.”

The Chinese embassy in Australia accused Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday of launching an “ignorant” attack on China and parroting the lines of the US after he called on Beijing for more transparency on COVID-19.

Josh Frydenberg said he and other cabinet colleagues would not bow to Chinese pressure on ­issues that were in Australia’s ­national interest.

“They’re unwanted and unjustified comments. What is clear is that we maintain a good relationship at the commercial level with China. They’re our largest trading partner and we want that to continue,” the Treasurer told the ABC. “We obviously have some differences from time to time on political and strategic levels but, like with many countries, we make those points clear.

“Ultimately Peter Dutton’s role, the Prime Minister’s role, my role and all our colleagues’ roles is to defend the Australian national interest, and that’s what we’ll continue to do, and we’ll speak up about it as required.”

Mr Dutton declined to respond to the Chinese embassy’s attack. On Monday, China’s foreign ministry accused Foreign Minister Marise Payne of “dancing to the tune” of the US after she called for an independent investigation into the pandemic.