A screenshot of the Uber Eats app showing rapid tests available for purchase through a convenience store in Sydney.
On Tuesday afternoon,a convenience store in Sydney’s Canterbury,Ready To Go,was offering a pack of two RATs for $65 on Uber Eats – with the item showing as “popular” – and EzyMart Cronulla was selling a two-pack for $55.
Crown Square Convenience Store in Waterloo was advertising COVID-19 antigen tests for $39.99 for two,while a roadside restaurant in Adelaide,the Big Grill Bolivar,was at one point showing them available for $50 each,alongside bacon and egg rolls.
In Melbourne,law professor Sarah Joseph found a petrol station selling RATs using a website dedicated to helping people find nearby supplies of the tests. It had only been posted for 34 minutes when she arrived and already “there were just cars everywhere”,she said.
“People were parked behind each other,then I saw on the left a whole bunch of people beside their cars lined up,” she said. “It looked like a testing line or a line for vaccination. I just thought,‘bugger it’ – I didn’t have the time.”
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Tuesday said it was closely monitoring the situation regarding the supply of RATs and the prices charged to consumers,noting there was significant public concern about the matter.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims announces the consumer group will examine accusations of price gouging.Credit:Louie Douvis
Chairman Rod Sims said the ACCC had established a dedicated team to work on the issue and “we won’t be shy to name and shame suppliers and retailers we consider to be doing the wrong thing”.
The ACCC was seeking information from suppliers about costs,pricing,stock levels and amounts of stock on order. “We are also contacting major retailers and pharmacies seeking similar information and reminding them that they need to be able to substantiate any claims they make to consumers about the reason for higher prices,” Mr Sims said.