A popular Melbourne cafe has apologised after coming under fire for a promotion that gave customers two free rapid tests if they spent $159.99 at its online store.

St Ali Coffee Roasters in South Melbourne has been accused of taking advantage of the desperation for rapid tests as a supply shortage sweeps through the country.

The cafe sent subscribers a text message yesterday, offering VIP customers two free RATs if they spent the minimum amount at its online shop, which sells coffee and merchandise.

READ MORE: Victoria declares Code Brown emergency as hospitals buckle

"We've been fortunate enough to secure a limited number of Rapid Antigen Tests for our staff, families and friends," the message read.

"As a special VIP customer, we'd like to extend these to you too.

"We'll gift you a free 2PK Rapid Antigen Test and ship it free in Australia.

"Stay safe, stay calm, stay caffeinated.

"Minimum spend of $159.99 applies."

However, the offer quickly copped backlash online, with many slamming the promotion as unethical.

"Who the hell at St Ali coffee thought this was a good idea? $159.99 spend for two "free" #rat tests … disgusting idea," one person wrote on Twitter.

"People don't have jobs. People can't access RATs. People are struggling. But hey, spend $160 bucks on coffee items and you'll get two tests for free," another user said.

The cafe issued an apology hours later, saying they were "very sorry" and realised in hindsight the offer was "inappropriate".

"We recently procured some rapid antigen tests for our staff and their families, we had some surplus supply, so we sent a text message to some of our subscribers offering two free rapid antigen tests with a minimum order value," St Ali owner Salvatore Malatesta said on the cafe's Instagram story.

READ MORE: Patient 'faked chest pains to get a PCR test'

"We believed this was a way of supporting our customers whom purchase from us regularly, but the message has been lost.

"We can see in hindsight it was inappropriate."

Mr Malatesta said once the cafe received further tests, it would donate the equivalent amount to local charity Father Bob.

Subscribers who wanted a refund or to chat about the issue have been advised to contact the cafe.

The apology comes as the RAT shortage has left many Australians in strife, while some of the few available are being sold at premium prices.

READ MORE: What is a Code Brown? Everything you need to know

Karen Lenihan told 9News she needed a RAT to visit her daughter in Tasmania, but she has been unable to find one, meaning her trip was in jeopardy.

"We haven't seen her in nearly two years," she said.

"I'm going to come back tomorrow with the hope that I might be able to grab them —otherwise sadly it might be another year before we get to see our daughter in Tasmania because we won't be able to go."

The Victorian Government has ordered 44 million RATs.

Three million of those have arrived and are being distributed to essential services.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has urged parents to get their children vaccinated after Nationals MP George Christensen said "do not get your children vaccinated".

In an online video interview for his own program, the Queensland MP declared "do not vaccinate your children. I probably could not say that clear enough".

The backbench MP claimed the government's program to vaccinate children aged five and above was "nuts".

READ MORE: Over 100,000 private hospital staff to be diverted to public system to respond to Omicron

"I would flatly plainly disagree with anyone who said that," said Health Minister Greg Hunt, who said he hadn't heard the comments.

Not referring to Mr Christensen in particular, Minister Hunt said, "Frankly, the anti-vaxxers aren't only losing the debate they've lost the debate. We're at a 95 per cent national 16 plus vaccination rate."

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said while he "won't comment on other people's comments, if people could listen to the Chief Medical Officer and my colleagues in the states, we're all of agreement.

"The ATAGI group, which is I would say among the best experts on immunisation in the world, certainly in Australia, we are of one voice: it is very important for children now down to the age of five to be vaccinated."

READ MORE: Victoria declares Code Brown emergency as hospitals buckle under COVID-19

https://twitter.com/Mark_Butler_MP/status/1483241679306260481

The Federal Government says almost 400,000 children in the 5-11 age group have received their first dose of the vaccine since the program was launched on January 10.

Professor Kelly was at pains to point out the safety of COVID-19 vaccinations for children.

"We don't have any medicines or any vaccines in Australia that have not gone through the full process of the TGA," he said.

READ MORE: Queensland records deadliest day of COVID-19 pandemic, 15,962 cases

He added the TGA had looked at "real-world experience of rollouts in other places. We had the advantage of watching multiple millions of children of that age group 5-11 get their first and their second doses in the US they have not seen a single issue in terms of severe safety signals".

Sharing a post from George Christensen, Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler said, "This is what Government MPs are putting out on Australia's deadliest day of the pandemic. Scott Morrison needs to put an end to this and take responsibility for the actions of his backbenchers".

George Christensen has announced he's leaving parliament at the next election.

The latest MIQ room release has been postponed due to the “unprecedented number of Omicron cases”.In a statement, Head of MIQ Chris Bunny said there has been a tenfold increase in positive Covid-19 cases at the border compared to…

The woman responsible for the death of Arrowtown teenager Allanah Walker is appealing against her sentence.Tully Robinson (22), of Queenstown, was speeding, driving on the wrong side of the road, texting while driving and affected…

The parents of one of the six victims killed after a tornado pummelled a US Amazon warehouse last month are suing Amazon over the alleged wrongful death of their son.

Austin McEwen's parents allege that the e-commerce giant, as well as a construction company and real estate developer associated with the Edwardsville, Illinois facility that experienced significant structural damage after it was struck by an EF-3 tornado on December 10, 2021, failed to exercise reasonable care to protect workers like their son from sustaining injuries or death.

Mr McEwen, 26, who worked as an independent contractor making deliveries for Amazon, sought shelter in a bathroom at the facility, according to a copy of the lawsuit provided by Clifford Law Offices, which is representing the McEwens.

READ MORE: NSW records deadliest day of pandemic

During the press conference, held over Zoom, Alice McEwen, Austin's mother and the administrator of his estate, said Amazon opted not to evacuate workers from the facility in a timely manner as it sought to keep them fulfilling orders.

"It appears that Amazon placed profits first during this holiday season instead of the safety of our son and the other five families who lost loved ones," she said.

In a statement to CNN Business, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company will defend against the lawsuit while adding that Amazon's "focus continues to be on supporting our employees and partners, the families who lost loved ones, the surrounding community, and all those affected by the tornadoes".

READ MORE: One of the US Navy's most powerful weapons appears in Guam

Ms Nantel said the "lawsuit misunderstands key facts, such as the difference between various types of severe weather and tornado alerts, as well as the condition and safety of the building."

She also noted that while severe weather watches are common in the area, it is not typical for businesses to shut down operations in anticipation of severe storms.

Asked whether some workers like Mr McEwen were directed to seek shelter in a bathroom, Amazon declined to comment beyond its statement.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into the collapse of the Edwardsville facility last month.

READ MORE: Djokovic lands in Serbia as rumours swirl about French Open eligibility

OSHA, the federal agency that investigates workplace safety incidents, has six months to complete the investigation.

Jack Casciato, partner at Clifford Law Offices, told CNN Business: "Even as early as December 9, it was very clear that this area of Southwestern Illinois could be at risk of a tornado and the warning intensified throughout the day."

"The question Amazon will have to answer is: 'Why were these workers present at this facility?'" Mr Casciato said.

Police are currently responding to a robbery at an Auckland jewellery store.Police are making enquiries into the incident at Christies Watches and Jewellery at Hunters Plaza in Papatoetoe.Photos of the robbery show display cases…

A digital recreation of Wellington which aims to educate people about climate change is one of 15 innovative initiatives to be awarded US$1 million in the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge. Wellington is one of 15 cities worldwide to win…

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has filed an appeal against the decision to be remanded in custody.Sources have told NZME that Tamaki has filed an appeal against the decision to be remanded in custody for allegedly breaching…

Northcote MP Shanan Halbert is among many people who were accosted at vaccination centres by people protesting against Covid vaccination for children. And he’s fielding messages from his constituents, unsettled by aggressive confrontations…

More than 100,000 health staff and up to 57,000 nurses from the private health system will be available to the public sector in Omicron-affected areas around Australia.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government is activating the private hospitals agreement, which was established in early 2020.

The agreement was designed to support state hospital systems at any time where they may be under significant pressure.

READ MORE: Victoria declares Code Brown emergency as hospitals buckle under COVID-19

The announcement comes as Victoria activated a Code Brown emergency measure across all Melbourne public hospitals and major regional facilities, as the healthcare system continues to buckle under pressure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As Professor Kelly and I were just discussing, we have strong confidence in the Victorian hospital system and strong confidence in its preparedness that there is significant capacity within the system," Mr Hunt said.

"But, of course, workforce challenges not just in hospitals, but in workplaces in any Omicron-affected area, remain the principal challenge.

"So this is a response to that. The private hospitals agreement will see up to 57,000 nurses and over 100,000 staff made available to Omicron-affected areas around the country.

READ MORE: Queensland records deadliest day of COVID-19 pandemic, 15,962 cases

"The states and territories will where necessary work directly with the staff and with the hospitals themselves.

"Whether it's the large private hospital networks or the smaller private hospitals, it will be up to the states and territories to activate those."