Scrap daily rapid testing, Australian industry bosses tell states and territories

Peak industry groups want state and territory leaders to scrap mandatory daily rapid testing requirements for workers in critical areas.

States and territories have been asked to end manadatory daily rapid antigen tests. Picture: Picture: Nikki Short

Peak industry groups are calling for state and territory leaders to scrap mandatory daily rapid testing requirements for workers in critical industries, as businesses continue to be crippled by Covid-induced absenteeism.

The push is at odds with Health Minister Greg Hunt, who on Sunday said furloughed staff were returning to work in “significant numbers” after national cabinet introduced new rules allowing workers in critical industries to leave isolation if they undergo daily testing.

Mr Hunt said he had spoken with DHL, a major distributor of vaccines for the government, whose operations had been positively impacted by asymptomatic people allowed back to work early.

“The real point their director of operations made to me is that they are starting to see furloughed staff come back in significant numbers and they are expecting furloughed staff to come back in significant numbers,” Mr Hunt said.

“The two changes; the definition of close contacts to being household contacts but then, in particular, the capacity of asymptomatic contacts to work are making significant differences.

“We’re seeing that pattern across the economy.”

But peak industry groups have rejected Mr Hunt’s claims, saying the changes to close contact requirements do not go far enough to alleviate supply chain issues, with the system still under strain from soaring Covid-19 case numbers.

Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive Tanya Barden. Picture: Nikki Short

Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive Tanya Barden said the shortage of rapid antigen tests was impeding the new rules being rolled out across the sector.

Ms Barden called for state governments to scrap the daily testing rule in favour of giving businesses flexibility to manage the Covid-19 risk.

“While we recognise and appreciate the efforts to address the critical supply chain issues and furloughing, simply changing the close contact definition was not enough,” she said.

“We need all governments in their public health orders to remove the requirement for RAT testing and instead provide industry with flexibility to manage the risks associated with returning close contacts to work, and provide industry with guidance (rather than a requirement) that RAT is an effective screening tool.

“Given the shortage of RATs, we also need to urgently prioritise government provision of RATs to food and grocery manufacturing and their supply chains to give businesses confidence when staff return to the workplace.”

Australian Trucking Association managing director David Smith said availability of rapid antigen tests continued to impede the sector’s workforce, warning customers should anticipate shortages in supermarkets for “some time” to come.

“The changes will not be enough to fill the huge loss of staff that has actually occurred,” Mr Smith said. “As a community, we need to brace ourselves that there will be shortages to continue for some time.

“The system continues to be under strain, despite the changes. While we welcome the change, the rules require drivers to test every day, and while there are supply problems of RATs this is not possible.

“It’s also not enough because there’s a reasonable number of furloughed staff who were actually Covid-19 positive or have symptoms, so while the changes are good, the impact to the workforce is limited.”

Opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said “Australians are finding it almost impossible to get their hands on a rapid test”.

“When they do so, they are paying as much as $100 for a test that their government should be providing them for free,” Mr Butler said.