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Rapid Antigen Test Manufacturing in Australia

Rapid Antigen Test
Thursday 10th February 2022

Rapid Antigen Tests Made in Australia

The COVID-19 has been very disruptive and now that vaccination rates are higher it is now mostly about managing our way forward. Testing is still a key strategy and Australia has led the way in Rapid Antigen Testing.

Unfortunately the federal governments has been reluctant to invest in practical local manufacturing capabilities in this area and that has seen the businesses moving to off shore manufacture.

Policy 101 shows us that if you want businesses to direct investment and effort in a particular direction, you need to put in place favourable conditions to encourage that. This isn’t always financial co-investment. But somehow we seem to be failing this topic badly.

Lack of “appetite” for local investment derails RATs manufacture

Currently locally made Rapid Antigen Tests are exported but that is going to change. We led the way in this technology area and the rest of the world gets it.

RAT - Rapid Antigen Test

RAT – Rapid Antigen Test

 

Making Rapid Antigen Tests for Australia

With support from the Victorian Government and Federal Labour, Lumos Diagnostics in collaboration with Planet Innovation will be making Rapid Antigen Tests here for use here.

Lumos Diagnostics

Lumos Diagnostics

Planet Innovation

Planet Innovation

This is a good example of how good policy can drive a good outcome. See:

OK, that is quite a lot of coverage. Which shows how important this initiative is.

I’m looking forward to this project going into full scale manufacture. We have learned several important lessons from this pandemic and I hope we don’t forget them:

  • you need to be able to make essential supplies locally
  • local jobs matter to the whole economy, not just the employed person
  • insecure work arrangements are a risk, not a business benefit
  • robust modern economies make things

Our congratulations again to Lumos Diagnostics and Planet Innovation for bringing the technology to the table and to the Victorian State Government for understanding the opportunity to invest in the future of Victoria.


Successful Endeavours specialise in Electronics Design and Embedded Software Development, focusing on products that are intended to be Made In AustraliaRay Keefe has developed market leading electronics products in Australia for more than 30 years.

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