The West Australian government will allocate an extra A$1.6 billion ($1.13 billion) in COVID-19 response and recovery funds in this week’s state budget. The extra cash will take the state’s total pandemic-related spending to A$11.2 billion ($7.9 billion) and will cover a suite of measures including A$635 million ($449 million) for the supply of free rapid antigen tests.
Another A$537 million ($380 million) will be spent on health services, including medical equipment and the ongoing vaccine rollout while A$237 million ($167 million) will be used to support businesses, including grants to small companies.
There will also be A$42.5 million ($30 million) in Thursday’s budget to cover ventilation strategies in schools along with enhanced cleaning.
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