Barnaby Joyce rules out free Covid rapid antigen tests

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has slapped down calls to make Covid RATs free saying “money doesn’t fall out of the air.”

Barnaby Joyce has shut down calls for the federal government to hand out rapid antigen tests, declaring “nothing is free”.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals Leader was quizzed about the possibility of making RATs free as National Cabinet prepares to meet today to discuss issues including staffing, product and testing shortages.

But Mr Joyce said that despite an influx of positive RATs being recorded in NSW, making the tests free was not an option.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, pictured during Question Time in the at Parliament House, has ruled out making RATs free. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

“Nothing is free. All that happens is you pay it on your tax later on,” Mr Joyce said.

“If you want something to be free you are fooling yourself. The money doesn’t fall out of the air, we take it off your wages, salaries, businesses, to pay for them.”

He gave support for subsidised tests for more than six million vulnerable Australians, who will receive 10 tests every three months, but ruled out giving free tests to every Australian.

COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are in short supply. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

“On that issue for people who struggling, pensioners, people in aged-care, they would be free … this idea that everybody gets them for free, I don‘t know about that,” Mr Joyce said.

“We‘re bringing (RATs) in, I don’t know whether we’re going to be funding them. We will make sure we facilitate them.”

It comes following repeated refusals from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to consider forking out to make the tests free like countries including the UK, New Zealand and Singapore.

Mr Morrison said last week that Australia couldn’t “just go around and make everything free”.

Originally published as Barnaby Joyce rules out free Covid rapid antigen tests