Tycoon helps Australia get much-needed medical aid

Some 90 tons of medical equipment and medical supplies will be flown to Australia on three charter flights by China Eastern, according to Australian iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest.

Forrest has donated A$160 million ($98 million) through his Minderoo Foundation to bring muchneeded medical supplies from China to help Australia fight against COVID-19.

The Perth-based billionaire said this would not have been possible without the support of Cheng Jingye, China’s ambassador to Australia, and Dong Zhihua, consul-general to Western Australia.

Forrest said: “We were very supportive of China when it needed help at the start of this pandemic and China is supporting us now in our hour of need.”

Minderoo and FMG’s deep and enduring relationships with China are unparalleled in Australia. FMG, which was founded by Forrest, is the world’s fourth-largest iron ore producer. The Minderoo Foundation is a philanthropic organization set up by Forrest and his wife Nicola in 2001.

Forrest said the relationships he built up over many years enabled “us to supercharge procurement efforts on behalf of and in collaboration with the Western Australian and Federal governments”.

“Unprecedented times cannot be met with a precedented response,” he said. “Our nation faces a threat not seen in our lifetime.”

The Chinese people “are now doing all they can to help us in our hour of need,” he said. “And I thank the People’s Republic of China for protecting our critical medical orders.

“Without this, there would be no plane loads of equipment heading to Australia today for our first responders and suffering Australians.”

Consul-General Dong said China is proud to stand with Australia against the virus.

“Today (April 1) we are happy to announce the good news that the first flight of medical supplies will be arriving in Perth soon,” Dong said.

She praised Forrest’s previous support for China’s battle against COVID-19 and said China would reciprocate that assistance.

The first plane load of critical medical supplies from the world’s largest producer, China, left Shanghai on April 1 and arrived in Perth the next day.

In order to resolve Australia’s shortage of personal protective equipment, two more flights are due to arrive on Friday and Saturday. These planeloads will together add up to more than 600 cubic meters of medical supplies weighing over 90 tons.

“This is equipment we are so desperately in need of,” Forrest said.