‘Just obscene’: Lisa lashes $1000 farce

The explosive demand for the at-home testing kits, coupled with supply chain strains worsened by the boom in cases, has created a perfect storm Down Under, with locals forced to use RAT tracking apps and social media circles to find one close to home.

Pathology Australia, which represents manufacturers and importers of rapid tests, has been working around the clock to address the crisis as reports filter in of retailers charging up to $70 for a single test.

It comes after Australia’s consumer watchdog slammed the “outrageous” price gouging, which has appeared to have continued despite harsh new rules imposed by the government.

In one case, a consumer who bought the tests online tried to flog them on social media for $500 for two tests.

Host of The Project Lisa Wilkinson blasted the “obscene” mess Australia had found itself in as thousands around the country are forced into isolation.

When asked about exactly where it went wrong, Mr Whiting said politicians “didn’t read the tea-leaves particularly well” considering similar shortages occurring overseas.

He said Australia was “late to the party” and would have to wait at least another month before RATs are a common item on pharmacy shelves.

“Nobody really saw Omicron coming, so we‘ll give ourselves a leave pass on that one but the widespread use of the tests was common overseas,” he said.

“And even if we thought we didn’t need them here, we should have thought that potentially an Omicron style of variant was possible and rapid antigen tests would have played an important role. So we didn’t read the tea-leaves particularly well.”

The US has ordered 1 billion RAT tests as it deals with its own Omicron surge. The Canadian government ordered 500,000, while the UK has been using 20 million a week.

“We’re very late to the party and that’s part of the supply chain issue that we’re facing now,” Mr Whiting continued.

Mr Whiting said 500,000 to 3 million tests are arriving “more or less daily” but admitted it will still take “some time” for that supply to fill in, running against the clock as the 2022 school year approaches.

“I think schoolkids, aged care, people in essential workplaces – we’re going to need to be testing for some time to come now,” he said.

“Possibly even until the middle of the year, to make sure that we keep the schools open, health facilities open, essential businesses open, and that we can catch cases early in their life cycle, so that people can take the appropriate health decision.”

The Morrison government’s decision to leave distribution of RAT tests up to retailers attracted immediate attention as prices inevitably skyrocketed amid the uncontrollable demand.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1000 Australians between 14-17 January 2021, about whether government should provide free Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) and why some parts of Australia are experiencing problems like pressure on the public health system, supply chain issues and staffing shortages.

Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of Australians believe the government should provide RATs to everyone free of charge.

Even Coalition voters backed the call for free RAT tests with 66 per cent of voters who voted for Scott Morrison urging the Prime Minister to act.

“Rather than wanting the government out of their lives, it is clear that most Australians believe the government has a responsibility to provide Rapid Antigen Tests free to the public,” said Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute.

“Australians have tried to do the right thing, but the Morrison Government’s failure to secure adequate supplies of affordable rapid antigen tests left many Australians in desperate situations over the summer. The public knows this is not a problem that can be solved by individual Australians.”

Originally published as Pathology Technology CEO gives update on Australia’s RAT shortage on The Project