Leaving aside possible future uses of the kits in providing...

Leaving aside possible future uses of the kits in providing immunity passports etc, I think it's interesting to think about how this product can contribute to the overall response to the virus right now, when the focus is still probably more on detecting infected people.

Firstly, if someone has been showing symptoms for a few days this test looks like it would provide a pretty good, cost-effective diagnostic tool. Seven or eight days after infection (which you probably would be if you've had symptoms) the tests are apparently pretty accurate and would be a good chance of picking up any positives. If you were tested negative, a further test a week later could confirm that your illness was or was not covid-19.

That seems highly useful in itself - not to mention all the data for the epidemiologists and the value for people incidentally found to be immune even at this early stage of things in Australia.

I saw somewhere that in the UK these tests were (or would be) available for home use. That seems a very controversial idea here, for valid reasons, but there are also some pretty good arguments for allowing it, with strict guidelines on distribution and use. Perhaps you would have to collect your tests (two tests seems to make sense) at an official distribution centre, provide your details, and follow up with your results etc to be entered into the database. I'm not saying this is necessarily a good idea, but I think it is worthy of analysis and the weighing up of the pros and cons. The government currently sends out poo testing kits to everyone over 50 as part of the fight against bowel cancer. Presumably that program is far less accurate than professional testing - the test is actually quite elaborate and vulnerable to human error - but it is nevertheless considered worthwhile.