Barnaby Joyce has defended the Morrison government's decision not to provide financial support towards a $1 billion COVID business assistance program being brought in by NSW.
The deputy prime minister said the government had laid out billions of dollars in the form of JobKeeper, JobSeeker, stimulus for the airline industry, concessions for the rapid antigen tests and other measures during the pandemic.
"It goes on and on and on," Mr Joyce told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program on Sunday.
"So I don't think it is penny-pinching. You can't just keep putting things on the credit card over and over and over again."
He said the more money paid out on tackling the Omicron variant and other COVID-19 programs meant there was less money for the NDIS, defence, education and health.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the $1 billion support package includes aid for small businesses if they have had a 40 per cent downturn over the summer period.
"What has been our guiding principle over two years, during this long pandemic, it has been that we will always put our businesses and our workers before the budget," he told reporters in Sydney.
"We've been able to do that in our state, because of our strong financial management over 10 years."
Treasurer Matt Kean said the package would ensure "our economy is resilient and our businesses are supported", but added that he was "very disappointed" that the federal government did not contribute.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said many businesses have "done it tough" over Summer. Source: AAP
"I was hoping to make this announcement beside the prime minister and treasurer [Josh] Frydenberg, but they're not to be found," he said.
"These are not just NSW businesses, they are Australian businesses. Australian businesses that pay their taxes to the Commonwealth government. Australian businesses that are doing it so tough at this time.
"So what we want to see, rather than the Commonwealth government stepping aside, we want to see the Commonwealth government stepping in, like the NSW government is doing to support small business, and doing so support our national economy."
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to see Mr Perrottet "stepping into the void of national leadership".
Mr Joyce also stood by comments made last week that one of the reasons for the lack of rapid antigen tests is that people are hoarding them."It is just a matter of fact," he said.
"If you deny that RAT tests are being hoarded ... I would have to lie. People are (hoarding them)."
But he said the government was now bringing in millions of RATs.
Mr Albanese said rapid antigen tests should be available on the basis of need for everyone through the Medicare system.
There would have to be a limit, as there is through the government's program that provides the tests for concession card holders.
"That's the way you can control supply. It is not rocket science here," Mr Albanese said.
On Sunday, NSW suffered a record 52 deaths while Victoria registered 20 more fatalities.It follows two days where deaths approached 100 nationally.
More than 3700 Australian lives have been lost since the pandemic began, over a thousand of them this month.
There were 13,524 new positive COVID-19 tests in NSW, while there were 10,589 new infections in NSW.
The return of schools over the next few days along with rapid test surveillance is likely to drive daily case tallies up again.
