RAT supplier rubbishes rumour government is seizing rapid antigen tests

A major supplier of rapid antigen tests in Australia has weighed in on a rumour the government is redirecting RATs for its own stockpile.

The exclusive distributor of rapid antigen saliva tests has rubbished widespread industry claims that supplies were ever seized, stolen or commandeered by the Morrison Government for the national stockpile.

Australia’s consumer watchdog, the ACCC, has now been tasked to investigate multiple suppliers claiming they were told by distributors that saliva rapid antigen tests were held up because the government was seizing them.

The government insists those claims are “a lie” and could get suppliers into big trouble with the ACCC.

The claims were made in emails to customers who were concerned RATs they had ordered had failed to arrive. The correspondence claimed the government was to blame.

Now, the major distributor of the tests in Australia, Motion One, has told news.com.au it has never told any suppliers that was the case.

The exclusive distributor of saliva rapid antigen tests in Australia has rubbished claims stock is being “seized” by the federal government. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

”We discovered through third parties that a company unknown to Motion One, a customer of one of our distributors, had notified its own customer base that the product we supply had been “recalled” on the basis of Government requisition,” CEO and Founder of Motion One, Ms Austyn Campbell said.

”We contacted this customer as soon as the discovery was made and demanded they issue an immediate retraction since there was no justification for a claim that there had been any “recall”. A retraction was issued. As far as we are aware, the Government has not requisitioned our product at any time.

’We will continue to monitor this situation closely and co-operate with the Government to minimise the spread of misinformation.”

Motion One is the exclusive distributor in Australia of the Orawell COVID-19 Ag Rapid Saliva Test Device and supplies both Government and non-Government clients.

Multiple companies have claimed in recent weeks the government had requisitioned the RATs and taken the tests “from under our noses.”

Multiple companies have alleged the federal government had redirected their stock of rapid antigen tests, a claim that has been fiercely denied. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

One of the companies to make the claim was Winc Australia.

Those claims were then publicly released by Queensland state MP Mark Bailey, who claimed the Federal Government had “commandeered” 34,000 rapid antigen tests from Queensland Rail, posting an email on Twitter purporting to be from a private supplier to customers.

”Like every suppler around the country, at [redacted] we have experienced extended delays with stock of rapid antigen test kits arriving into our warehouse,” the email, which has removed identifying references to the supplier, read.

”While new supplies were originally expected in January, in the last 24 hours, we have been advised by our suppliers that under the Federal Government’s emergency stock powers, product that had been committed to [redacted] has now been commandeered.

However, news.com.au has obtained the original letter confirmed that it was from Winc Australia.

The company told news.com.au that was the advice it received from unnamed suppliers. Winc is not a direct client of Moton One, suggesting the information may have come from a middle man.

A letter sent by Winc alleging the federal government had redirected stock of rapid antigen tests

”As a distributor to workplaces around the country, Winc relies on the information and advice it receives from its suppliers when it comes to the availability of the stock they supply to us,’’ a spokesman said.

”Orders were on track for delivery, and in December, we invited our customers to pre-order against this stock which had been committed to us.

”Early in the New Year we were disappointed when each supplier advised us that they could no longer fulfil our orders. We were advised that Government had intervened to redirect our stock. We were advised by the suppliers that either:

• Stock had been commandeered under emergency stock powers

• The Government had legally withheld the stock on arrival in the country

• Stock had been reprioritised for Government

”Given we were now unable to supply the pre-orders we had taken with customers, we wrote to them and passed on the suppliers’ reasons for not supplying us,’’ a Winc spokesman said.

However, Prime Minster Scott Morrison has warned suppliers that false claims governments are seizing the tests could result in substantial penalties.

”The Commonwealth Government, through the Department of Health, is reporting false claims of the requisitioning of rapid antigen tests to the ACCC. These claims are categorically untrue,” Mr Morrison said.

”If you’re being told by a supplier that you cannot get those rapid antigen tests because the Commonwealth Government has redirected it, that is not true.

”Get them to tell you the truth.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said any business that makes those claims is “lying” and may have been made as a result of some suppliers who “have overcommitted and not been able to deliver”.

Originally published as RAT supplier rubbishes rumour government is seizing rapid antigen tests