Foreign Minister Marise Payne will push for an independent body outside the World Health Organisation to launch a global inquiry into the spread of the coronavirus.

The escalation follows growing criticism of the UN health body, which delayed declaring a COVID-19 pandemic and has been accused by the White House of bowing to political and financial influence from China.

Senator Payne said Australia shared some of the concerns that the United States have identified in relation to the WHO and an independent review needed to “get to the bottom” of COVID-19.

Foreign Affairs Marise Payne. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"We need to know the sorts of details that an independent review would identify for us about the genesis of the virus, about the approaches to dealing with it, and addressing the openness with which information was shared,” Senator Payne said.