ANNOUNCEMENT:
We are no longer taking donations and will cease our service from 1st of June 2023.
In May 2023, we contacted past donors with a message about leftover donated funds. We intend to donate these funds to the Disability Justice Network. The email mentioned that you’re a past donor and you’re not happy with this (or for any other reason), please contact us at hello@ratbag.org, and we’ll arrange a refund of your donation (as a proportion of leftover funds).
We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed for their generosity.
send rats
On 31 July 2022 the government ended the free RATs program for welfare recipients and other concession card holders.
This harms everyone who needs the program, but people who have to do activities to get their Centrelink payment are particularly at risk. A positive COVID test is required to avoid payment suspension when isolating and PCR tests have become increasingly hard to get. Without a RAT many welfare recipients will be forced to choose between leaving home while contagious or losing their poverty payment.
Make a donation to help us send free RATs to folks who can’t afford them.
do you have access to cheap or wholesale RATs?
Thanks to the generosity of two suppliers we have access to the highest rated RATS at heavily discounted prices and with distribution assistance. If you are in a position to help in a similar way we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch via hello@ratbag.org.
We source RATs via online vendors so we don’t have to maintain a physical stock and fulfil each order individually. Cash donations we receive are used to pay for tests that are sent directly to people who need them from the warehouse. If you have spare RATs, we ask that you please hold onto them for now.
what if we have funds left over after fulfilling requests?
We will be updating this website with information about funds raised and the value of RATs dispersed. If the amount in balance is significantly higher than demand we will identify and contribute to community health organisations that reflect the values and aims of this project.
With kind thanks to Anglicare Australia your donation to ratbag is fully tax deductible.
Thanks to Nicky Minus for our beautiful logo art. This project was established with assistance from the Antipoverty Centre.
