NSW Parliament secures stockpile of free Rapid Antigen Tests for MPs and staff

While essential workers are forced to run their own rat race to purchase rapid antigen tests, NSW Parliament has secured its own free stockpile.

Politicians are getting rapid antigen tests delivered to their electorate offices for free, while essential workers have been forced to search high and low for the crucial swabs.

While healthcare workers, truck drivers and supermarket staff are forced to run their own rat race to purchase RATs, NSW Parliament has secured its own stockpile for members and staff.

It comes as the Daily Telegraph can reveal people who fail to report their RAT results on the Service NSW app will be liable for $1000 fines under new parliamentary orders expected to be signed by the government.

However government sources said it would be “impossible” to police people abusing the self-reporting system.

Almost 2,000 RATs are set to be sent out to MPs electorate offices around the state, and members and staff required to work from Parliament House will be able to get one RAT each week.

In a Monday email to the parliamentary workforce — including MPs — the Department of Parliamentary Services said a “small supply of RAT kits” had been procured as a safety measure for members and staff working in the building or in electorate offices.

Rapid Antigen Tests are have become hard to find and there has been evidence of price gouging due to the scarcity. Picture: Richard Dobson

“For Electorate Offices, a limited supply of tests (20 RAT kits) will be sent out to each of the 98 electorate offices for use by members and staff, starting from tomorrow morning,” MPs were told.

In a follow up email on Tuesday, the Department of Parliamentary Services said the 20 free RATs would be sent by express post to regional offices and most city offices by Wednesday.

The Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), which runs the Parliament, acts independently of the government.

Daily RAT testing was in place for all workers in the building since October, but was halted over Christmas due to a supply shortage.

A number of other employers — like the supermarket giants — have their own stockpile of RATs for their workers.

But politicians are now being urged to donate their free RATs to essential workers in their electorates, who may otherwise not be able to find the tests.

Transport Workers Union State Secretary Richard Olsen condemned the move to give free RATs to MPs while essential workers miss out.

“It isn’t Members of Parliament that will keep food on the shelves in our supermarkets, it’s essential workers in the transport industry,” he said.

Annandale Pharmacy in Sydney’s inner west currently have no stock of Rapid Antigen Tests. Picture: Richard Dobson

“The TWU is calling on every NSW politician to do the right thing by their communities, and donate their free rapid tests to essential transport workers in their electorate,” he said.

“The NSW Government must also make rapid antigen tests available for free for all transport workers as soon as possible — if it’s good enough for politicians, then it’s good enough for the essential workers we all rely on.”

Labor leader Chris Minns has committed to donating his RATs to local charity Kogarah Storehouse.

“The priority should be health workers and essential services,” he said.

Greens’ David Shoebridge did not receive the free RATs as an upper house MP.

“There should not be any special rules for MPs or political staff,” he said.

DPS Acting Chief Executive Officer Kelly McFayden said the RATs are being supplied to electorate offices primarily to protect community-facing staff.

“The real concern is the staff of the electorate offices communicating with members of the public,” Ms McFayden said.

“They are a front facing service to the community and we wanted to make sure we put measures in place to keep those people safe.”