The consumer watchdog has received around 5000 complaints involving rapid antigen tests, some of which have already been passed on to the police for further investigation.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is close to completing its own investigation into RATs following a series of complaints of overpriced products at a time of supply shortages and heavy demand during the early stages of the Omicron variant outbreak.

A Senate hearing was told the ACCC is now receiving 35 complaints a day over either high prices or a lack of receipt when purchasing a test.

At the peak on January 4, it received 450 complaints in one day.

Outgoing ACCC chair Rod Sims said the commission is running a two track process – one is the overall investigation, the other is looking at the data and calling some retail chains to closely look at their stores and make sure they are doing the right thing.

“There was a bit of putting pressure on, as well as the investigation,” Mr Sims said at what will be his last appearance before the Senate economics committee before stepping down.

He said new government biosecurity regulation making it illegal to buy a test and on-sell it at more than 20 per cent was a “very helpful law”.

“That helped deal with a lot of rogues and the police are looking at those,” Mr Sims said.

So far 70 cases have been passed to the AFP.

– AAP