Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are constantly told that government responses to the coronavirus are guided by the science. Well, if we are adopting the science, where are our rapid tests?

Australia has been way behind the use of at-home rapid tests for a long time. Rapid antigen tests have been commercially available in the US since at least May, whereas our authorities did not even approve them until November—just a month ago. Still, since rapid tests at home have become available, they have not been adopted for widespread use. Industries that require regular testing, like truck driving, must still conduct invasive PCR tests, which can take hours, sometimes days, to get results. This stops people from earning a living while they are waiting for their test results and does nothing to make us safer. Why haven't we adopted rapid tests earlier? In September, the head of the TGA said that one reason for the delay was our low vaccination rates. It is all about the science.

Other countries have been using rapid tests to provide an easier option to facilitate travel and business. The Queensland government will open its borders in the next few weeks, but it will require a negative PCR test for anybody seeking to arrive. Why wouldn't we allow the use of rapid tests so that we can make travel to Queensland easier and hassle free? Rapid tests could help the Queensland tourism industry to more rapidly find its feet. But state governments and private companies are making a lot of money from the PCR tests, especially when the Australian government picks up most of the bill. Perhaps that is the reason why there seems to be an institutional reluctance to adopt rapid tests more rapidly.

Rapid tests could also offer an alternative to the cruel and inhumane vaccine mandates that are spreading quicker than the coronavirus around what was previously the free country of Australia. I support those trade unions that are backing the use of rapid tests as a way to let people keep their jobs. Given that vaccinated people can still catch and spread coronavirus, rapid testing could be an even safer way to prevent coronavirus spread at the workplace, guaranteeing that every Australian should have a right to work.