PM understood to be taking rapid antigen test change to national cabinet

Premiers and chief ministers will meet with the Prime Minister at 2pm – less than a week after the last national cabinet meeting – to discuss the vaccine rollout, the capacity of the health system and testing issues.

It is understood Mr Morrison will take a proposal on some kind of support for concessional and low income earners with regard to rapid antigen tests to the states and territories at the meeting.

NCA NewsWire also understands he will offer additional tests to state-run testing clinics to hand out for free to people suffering symptoms or who are deemed close contacts.

It comes as demand has skyrocketed for rapid antigen tests amid soaring Covid infections, with many pharmacies and supermarkets selling out.

Close contacts and casual contacts with symptoms can get free rapid antigen tests from clinics, but these sites have been overwhelmed with huge queues, with a large number forced to shut temporarily due to backlogs.

If people are not close contacts or symptomatic, they have to buy the rapid tests themselves, raising concerns about affordability for low-income earners, who may have to pay between $10 and $30 due to the shortages.

“And by making that policy very, very clear, then that means the private market, whether it’s in the big warehouse pharmacies or the other pharmacies or the supermarkets, they can now go and stock their shelves with confidence that they won’t be undercut by the government,” the Prime Minister told the Today Show on Monday, while defending the policy to not make them free to everyone.

But the Health Services Union will on Wednesday call for the government to commit to providing free rapid antigen test kits to people, saying a family couldn’t afford $150 out of their budget.

“Big retailers profiteering is no different to individuals looting during a crisis; the Prime Minister needs to step in and ensure rapid antigen tests are free and accessible to everyone who needs them,” HSU national president Gerard Hayes said.

“When the Morrison government and NSW government decided they would allow Omicron to rip through the community, they should have had a plan in place for Covid testing.

“But there was no plan, and now our health system is currently overwhelmed and private testing clinics are temporarily closing due to the backlog of samples needed to be processed.

“Rapid antigen tests can provide a quick answer to those who think they may have contracted the virus.”

Originally published as National cabinet: PM to propose ‘support’ for low income earners for rapid antigen tests