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.
