If you have a problem with over subscription Paul, I suggest you take it up with the doctors, not blame the pensioners you so much hate.

You can also blame them, the government & the media for the wholesale scare campaign which has so many, including some pensioners, so frightened of Covid.

You can't tell people for a couple of years that Covid is going to kill them if they don't get vaccinated without making many frightened. Then when they start to realise that the vaccination will not protect most of us, of course they want the test kits.

This government is now so green that it is succumb to the green disease of unintended consequences, thus the peoples desire to have test kits, as if that will save them.

SM, don't bother me one way or the other, if you do, or if you don't.

Hassy, get vaxxed, get a booster. Give yourself a fighting chance.

Come, come Indy, you condemn ALL Aboriginals based on your limited knowledge of local negativity.

Beats me how our resident crap stirrer managed to involve Aboriginal people in my post when nothing was further from my mind ??

Two of the reasons we pay too much for drugs in Australia are -

1. In accordance with our Free Trade Agreement with the USA, the length of patents for US Pharmaceuticals has been extended so we continue to pay the full amount instead of sourcing from other countries and

2. Pharma companies are among the largest donors to political parties so there is an incentive to help such companies maximise their profits.

While we pay $75 for a bottle of a certain drug still protected under patent plus propped up by political favours, it can be often produced and sold in India (and even Cuba) for as little as $5.


Meanwhile Government arrangements with COVID testing companies has allowed them charge up to twenty times for each test but now the infection rate has them overwhelmed. They were able to bulk test 10 samples at a time but if that batch showed a positive result they would need to retest each sample individually. While infection rates are low it's quite efficient (and profitable) but when infection rates hit 5% every second batch needs to be retested. When it's at 10% every sample has be be tested individually and the process becomes physically impossible with the resources we have in this country.

RATS kits are far cheaper than PCR tests and "free for the taxpayer" if consumers have to pay for them.

Indy,

I'm sure there are two things that are never far from your mind, what to do about those pesky Aboriginals, and what more can I get free from aged welfare.

Whoever gets into Australian Govt next should really address the problem of crap stirring hangers-on anarchists !