Former intelligence chief believes COVID-19 could have leaked from a Chinese lab

Australia's former intelligence chief says it’s possible COVID-19 could have leaked from a Wuhan laboratory and says a security review needs to be conducted of similar sites globally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The former head of foreign affairs, defence and ASIO, Dennis Richardson has also revealed there have been breaches of protocol at Australia’s bio-security laboratories, making the point “accidents do occur.” Mr Richardson told Sky News host Sharri Markson while we do not yet know the origin of COVID-19, there should be a security review of high-level bio-containment facilities where deadly bat-derived coronaviruses are handled and around the world. “I think the security around such laboratories always has to be subject to review and I think everyone would hope that part of the review in respect of COVID-19 would be looking at security of facilities globally,” he said. “That is something which we need to be alert to globally. We have such facilities here in Australia and i do know that in the past there have been one or two accidents.. at least on one occasion in the past that has been in the media. so accidents do occur. just how good china’s security is for its level 4 laboratories i simply don’t know. “The point i’m making is that accidents can happen regardless of the level of security and accidents have happened at level 4 facilities globally and it wouldn’t surprise me if they've happened in china because they have happened elsewhere.” Mr Richardson said an inadvertent leak of a naturally-occurring virus from a Wuhan laboratory was a possibility. “Put it this way, it is a possibility. However, i don’t think it is wise to be pressing one possibility over another at this point,” he said. “If you genuinely are interested in having a review, then it is absolutely essential that we have China’s co-operation. We’re not going to get China’s co-operation if before the review even starts we have people drawing conclusions and wanting to throw around accusations without evidence.” In Australia, bio-risk audits of laboratories are undertaken by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture told Sky News there have been 37 breaches of biological material at biosecurity containment laboratories approved for research, analysis or testing of imported biological material since June 2013 out of 4563 audits. These related to the release, imminent release or movement of goods that are subject to biosecurity control or a “deliberate failure to comply with a departmental action.” The Department of Health, which oversees a regulatory scheme for Security Sensitive Biological Agents, refused to reveal how many accidents there had been in their labs. “This information is held at a level that is not able to be publicly released,” a spokeswoman said, adding it “is considered to be security sensitive and is handled in accordance with the Protective Security Policy Framework.” Via news.com.au — Australia’s #1 news site https://www.news.com.au