‘Shocking’: Huge push for free rapid tests

Unions have slammed Scott Morrison for not making rapid antigen tests free, claiming the government is refusing to make them accessible for all Australians.

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michelle O’Neil is urging the Prime Minister to follow the footsteps of other countries in making the tests free after national cabinet refused to sign off on the measure on Thursday.

New changes to close contact definitions and testing requirements across each state and territory were revealed in the hopes of clearing the backlog and queues at testing clinics.

Despite each state being at different states of dealing with the spread of Omicron, Mr Morrison said they have all agreed on “a very practical way forward” with rapid antigen tests being heavily relied on.

Ms O’Neil said the at-home tests are “essential” going forward, but the prices are unjustified.

“The governments are refusing to make them free and accessible, it’s something we have seen in other countries and something that makes sense in making sure your income or postcode doesn’t determine whether you have access to a test and whether you’re safe,” Ms O’Neil told Today on Friday.

She said the government “had this wrong” with the tests being hard to come by and mostly sold out.

“They failed us in terms of getting enough vaccines in time and now yet again they’re failing us in terms of not enough rapid antigen tests and not making them free and accessible when we need them,” she said.

Mr Morrison announced the at-home tests would be available at testing sites alongside the PCR counterpart as well as in pharmacies and supermarkets.

He said it was “important” that stores had the “certainty” the government would not be providing them free to “anybody and everybody”.

“They are not going to go and order quantities to have on their shelves if they fear the risk of that occurring,” Mr Morrison said on Thursday.

“What I’m being very clear about to them today is the governments of Australia, commonwealth, state and federal are not going to do that.

“We will be providing them only where it is recommended to us that they need to be provided, which are in those settings of a close contact or for our aged care workers or in those high risk settings.”

Despite NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet already making the promise of free tests to his residents, Ms O’Neil said having them available in stores alone was not a solution.

She said tests should be available in communities and workplaces, but argues the prime minister wants people to “prove they have an issue” before being allowed access to a test.

“Really he’s putting private business above the interests of public health and ordinary people … that’s not what we need by a government at the moment,” she said.

With at-home tests in short supply across the country, some retailers are being accused of price gouging.

Ms O’Neil said prices were “shocking” with some reports of people having to pay more than $20 for a single test.

“They are free in the UK, in the USA … many other countries are doing this and governments are stepping up,” she said.

“The fault here lies with the federal government who is refusing to do that.”

The Victorian government has secured 34 million rapid tests with high-risk groups set to be the first to get free access.

Infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon echoed the calls for the tests to be made more available, but he said they are still not as reliable as PCR tests.

Professor Collignon said people lining up in the queues for PCR tests need to be there.

“The rapid antigen tests are good but they‘re not as good as PCR,” he told Sunrise.

“If you have symptoms, they are probably 80 or 90% accurate. If you don’t have symptoms, they probably pick up half the cases.”

“But they still have an advantage. They have place. In the US and England where they’ve been used for large periods of time they haven’t stopped the epidemics but they make a difference to the individual knowing if they are a risk.”