Australian Prime Minister Supports Extended WHO Powers

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the 74th World Health Assembly at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 24, 2021. Laurent Gillieron/Pool via Reuters

Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison has shown support for granting the World Health Organisation (WHO) greater powers to assist countries in managing pandemics.

However, minor parties have expressed concerns that this would amount to compromising Australia’s health sovereignty.

This comes after the World Health Assembly, consisting of 194 member countries, agreed in December 2021 to set up a global process to draft and negotiate a convention or treaty under the Constitution of the World Health Organisation to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

Included in the potential framework of the convention is to “mobilize collective international efforts necessary to prevent, rapidly detect and effectively respond to outbreaks of disease with pandemic potential” and  “support global coordination through a stronger WHO, as ’the directing and coordinating authority on international health work,’ including for pandemic preparedness and response”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media at a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, on May 16, 2022. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

Speaking at a press conference, the prime minister was asked about the upcoming World Health Assembly, running from May 22 t0 28, where WHO member countries will be discussing the proposed treaty and whether he would support it.

“I’ve always been supportive right from the outset and was criticised heavily, and I stress heavily, mocked in fact, by the Labor Party for saying the WHO should have those powers and those authorities to be able to go and deal with pandemic situations, because we all know what happened at the start of this pandemic,” Morrison said.

In April 2020, the Morrison government pushed for an independent inquiry into China’s handling of the initial COVID-19 outbreak after reports emerged in 2020 that the authorities in China were aware of the outbreak for weeks prior to the official declaration on Dec. 31, 2019. Early reports about an outbreak of the virus appeared in Wuhan in November 2019, when a cluster of cases was reported by state-controlled media.

“And I was the one calling to ensure that we had an independent process to understand what happened so it couldn’t be repeated,” Morrison said.

“So I have been in the vanguard of those moves internationally to ensure that there is greater protection for world health to ensure that those world health authorities can come and understand what’s going on and be able to assist countries to be able to prevent the spread and outbreak of major infectious diseases.”

However, members of One Nation and the United Australia Party have both said that signing on to such a treaty would pose a risk of the WHO dictating to Australia when and how to respond to global or regional health threats.

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Dec. 2, 2019. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

One Nation senator Pauline Hanson said on Wednesday that under the guidelines set out by the WHO, and supported by the PM, the WHO would have the power to pressure nations to implement measures such as  lockdowns, hard borders around quarantine zones, vaccine passports, mandatory removal and quarantine, and mandatory vaccinations.

“To make matters worse, the World Health Organisation can declare a pandemic without justifying or even publishing its reasons. There is no appeal, no transparency, no fairness,” she said.

Meanwhile, founder of the United Australia Party (UAP) and senate candidate Clive Palmer, said it is well known that China is a major contributor to the WHO and has a high degree of influence over the organisation.

“The WHO has been rightly criticised for pro-China bias in the past,” he said.

“It should be concerning to all Australians who value freedom and democracy that our health policies could fall under the influence of communist China.”

United Australia Party founder Clive Palmer addresses the media during a press conference in Townsville on April 18, 2019. AAP Image/Michael Chambers

Despite supporting the extended powers of the WHO, Morrison stressed that he would have to look closely at the details of what the treaty involves before agreeing to it.

Meanwhile, Labor leader Anthony Albanese refused to declare if he would sign the treaty, instead stating that “we need to clearly strengthen the WHO and the way that it operates.”