Newsroom

December 30, 2021

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader and Member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto, has called for the state and federal governments to work together to ensure COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are free, and freely available, to all Australians.

Mr Dametto said he was pleased that KAP’s recommendation of incorporating a wider use of rapid antigen testing in the public health response to COVID-19 is finally being taken seriously, but said governments need to get the funding, manufacturing and distribution, arrangements, in place to ensure everyone who needs them has access.

“Our proposal for re-opening Queensland had rapid antigen testing as its centre-piece,” Mr Dametto said.

“I will reaffirm KAP’s calls for the State Labor Government to accept rapid antigen testing in place of expensive and lengthy PCR testing, and stop the unnecessary wait times,” Mr Dametto said.

Mr Dametto said jurisdictions in North America and Europe have been providing rapid antigen tests to the public free of charge since they first came onto the market more than a year ago.

“The tests can be readily manufactured in Australia and a network should be set up to make them available through local distribution centres, such as pharmacies, clinics and assigned locations, in every Local Government Area,” Mr Dametto said.

“RATs retail for between fifteen to twenty dollars, they need to be free, and freely available,” Mr Dametto said.

Mr Dametto said accepting rapid antigen tests in place of PCR tests would not only take pressure off the testing centres but would signal a major departure in how governments have been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Governments are infected with COVID madness and it’s got to stop,” Mr Dametto said.
Mr Dametto said the call for wider acceptance of rapid antigen tests is about moving towards living with Covid.

“If you have mild flu like symptoms and you’re not sure if you should go into work or social settings, then you can easily do a test and check for yourself,” Mr Dametto said.

“It’s now time to switch to that phase that needed to happen eventually, living with COVID,” Mr Dametto said.

“It’s time for the State Government to give up the control they have wheeled since the start of the pandemic, let COVID run its course and let the vaccination do what it was designed to do,” Mr Dametto said.