Coalition went ‘directly’ to Whitehaven to purchase coal for Ukraine
by Christopher Knaus and Stephanie Tran from on (#5XFDP)
Keith Pitt denies previous donations to Liberal party played a role while another coalminer says it wasn't contacted regarding 70,000-tonne shipment
The Australian government publicly pledged to buy 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal from miner Whitehaven to donate to Ukraine before finalising the cost to the taxpayer - and failed to approach at least one other major coalminer to gauge their interest.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, on Sunday announced the federal government was buying coal from Whitehaven to donate to the Ukrainian government, with the assistance of Poland, to help provide energy security to the war-torn nation.
Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning
Continue reading...