Australia will pay for the 10m test kits from China. Excerts...

Australia will pay for the 10m test kits from China.

Excerts from news.com.au:


“I’d be taking those positive steps before we say who’s at fault,” Mr Forrest told the West Australian’s podcast on April 2. “Because it just might be Australia, it just might be Britain, it just might be China.”

The Prime Minister said the claim COVID-19 started in Australia was simply not true.

“That’s obviously nonsense,’’ he said.

“What the world over needs to know is.. how did this start. What are the lessons to be learned? That needs to be done independently. And why do we want to know? Because it could happen again, it could happen in South America.”

Mr Morrison said the Minderoo foundation would be “fully reimbursed” for the 10 million testing kits that Mr Forrest had helped to organise with Chinese contacts.

“Look, I appreciate what Andrew has done as well in working on this issue with us. We’ve got access to testing kits which have all been tested in Australia to make sure they’re up to the mark, which they are,’’ Mr Morrison said. “The Minderoo group will be fully reimbursed.”

The mining magnate explained this week how he organised the deal to get the testing kits and how by paying upfront privately Australia secured the tests against fierce competition from other countries. He explained the federal government would not have been able to pay upfront under procurement guidelines and could have missed out.