To the relief of many an Australian citizen out there, the federal government has finally lifted the ban on restricting the manufacture and sales of HIV home-testing kit.

This move by the government will ensure the immediate availability of the home-testing kits for anxious customers who wish to check themselves against the virus.

The federal health minister Peter Dutton has been quoted saying, "Home self-testing provides an additional testing option that complements current options and allows people living with HIV to learn their HIV status and seek appropriate treatment and support. It also overcomes some of the most common concerns people have about receiving the test in a medical setting and giving them more choice."

He also encourages manufacturing the kits in Australia so that it ensures that they meet Australian quality control standards. Therapeutic Goods Administration national manager, John Skerritt states that the home HIV test kit is quite similar to over-the-counter pregnancy test. This new measure is a part of the Government's latest strategy to deal with the increasing number of HIV transmission. It aims to reduce 50% of sexually transmitted HIV by the year 2015 and complete virtual elimination all over Australia by 2020.

Latest surveillance reports show a 10% increase in diagnosis of HIV infections for the year 2012, with at least two thirds resulting from men who have sex with other men (MSM). A 2010 Centre for disease control (US) has reported that 61% of all HIV transmissions are a result of MSM.

Pricing for the kits has not been established in Australia yet, but the average cost of one is about $40 in the U.S.