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Contact
Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly
Email
hello@prickly.com.au
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Same day. A mobile number is given on request.
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In person in Melbourne, phone or video.
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Releases

Prickly
21 September 2026Melbourne sexual health GP launches Prickly, an at-home STI testing service delivered across Australia, as annual gonorrhoea diagnoses pass 42,000

Doctor-reviewed testing for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV, collected privately at home and analysed by a NATA-accredited lab – from $49 with a Medicare card.

MELBOURNE, 21 September 2026 – Days after national surveillance data showed gonorrhoea diagnoses have risen 57% in a decade, a Melbourne sexual health GP has launched Prickly, an Australian at-home STI testing service with a doctor at both ends of the process – reviewing every request before collection equipment is posted, and every result before it reaches the patient’s inbox.

The Kirby Institute’s latest data, released on 15 September 2026, recorded 42,393 gonorrhoea diagnoses and 94,184 chlamydia diagnoses across Australia in 2025, with about half of chlamydia diagnoses in people aged 20 to 29. Most of these infections cause no symptoms, so regular testing is the only way to find them. A separate Kirby Institute analysis of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships found that 84% of Australians aged 16 to 49 have never been tested for an STI at all – for many, the barrier isn’t awareness, it’s the waiting room.

Prickly is built for people without symptoms. A 5-minute online request is reviewed by an Ahpra-registered Australian doctor, who confirms that at-home testing is suitable and orders the tests that match the person’s exposures. Collection equipment arrives in an unmarked mailer box by Australia Post, samples go back to the lab with a prepaid return label, and results are emailed privately 3–8 business days later. Lab samples are analysed by PCR testing at a NATA-accredited partner lab – the same testing a sexual health clinic uses. If a result needs action, a telehealth follow-up with a doctor is included at no extra charge, with prescriptions, referrals and help telling partners where needed.

“STI rates continue to climb, and most of the infections we find have no symptoms at all,” said Dr Tom Morley, a Melbourne sexual health GP and Prickly’s Medical Director. “We built Prickly to make personalised STI testing – managed by doctors from request to result – accessible at home, anytime, so every body can play safe.”

“This isn’t a website that sells a box. It’s a clinical service that happens to arrive by post,” Dr Tom said. “A doctor decides whether at-home testing is right for you, which sites to test, and what happens next. If it isn’t right for you, we point you to the right clinic instead.”

Prickly charges one fee per test, with no subscriptions or memberships: $49 for Medicare card holders, with lab pathology bulk billed to Medicare; $49 for overseas student and visitor health cover holders, with pathology billed to their insurer; and $119 for a Private test that bills nothing to Medicare or an insurer. Each fee covers chlamydia and gonorrhoea lab tests, doctor review, delivery and return shipping, home sample collection and follow-up. The HIV self-test can be added to any test for $25.

Privacy is built into the service rather than added to it. Prickly runs no advertising trackers or analytics pixels on its website, health and payment data sit under the Australian Privacy Principles in an ISO 27001-certified medical record, and the mailer box carries nothing that identifies its contents.

Prickly tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV and is available to people 16 or older who are physically in Australia. Anyone with symptoms, or a possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours, is directed to in-person care. Prickly plans to add syphilis testing when a suitable at-home option becomes available in Australia.

Prickly is available now at prickly.com.au, delivered to any Australia Post address, including PO Boxes and Parcel Lockers.

Ends

Data sources

Media contact

Dr Tom Morley · hello@prickly.com.au · prickly.com.au · @pricklyhealth. Same day response. A mobile number is given on request.

Logos, photographs and campaign imagery: prickly.com.au/media

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About Prickly

At a glance

What it is
At-home STI testing delivered across Australia
Launched
September 2026
Operated by
Prickly Health Pty Ltd, ABN 26 686 380 156, Melbourne
Medical director
Dr Tom Morley (BMedSc, MBBS, MIPH, FRACGP) – Ahpra MED0001782578
Tests for
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea, with an optional HIV self-test
Fees
From $49 with a Medicare card or OSHC/OVHC, $119 Private; the HIV self-test adds $25
Who it is for
People 16 or older, physically in Australia, without symptoms
Laboratory
PCR testing at a NATA-accredited partner lab
Certification
LegitScript-certified (opens in new tab)
How the service works
  1. Request online. A 5-minute online request is reviewed by an Ahpra-registered doctor, who confirms that at-home testing is suitable and orders the tests that match the person’s exposures.
  2. Equipment is posted. Collection equipment tailored to those exposures usually ships the next business day, in an unmarked mailer box with Australia Post tracking.
  3. Collection at home. A printed guide walks through self-collection – swabs and urine for the laboratory, and, where HIV testing is added, a fingerprick HIV self-test read at home in 15 minutes.

    Prickly’s collection equipment includes the Atomo HIV Self Test, a fingerprick screening test for HIV antibodies included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) for self-testing at home, which gives a result in 15 minutes. The test may not detect HIV acquired in the last 3 months, so consult a medical practitioner if exposure was possible during this time. The test is a screening test and a positive test result requires confirmatory laboratory testing on the request of a medical practitioner. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

    These statements are conditions of the permission that lets Prickly name the HIV self-test, so please keep them with any mention of it.

  4. Samples go back by post. Lab samples are posted back the same day with a prepaid return label, from any Australia Post Office, red street posting box or Parcel Locker.
  5. A doctor reviews the results. Every lab result is reviewed by a doctor before it is emailed privately. Telehealth follow-up is included where a result needs action, with help accessing treatment and telling partners.
What it costs

Every test includes chlamydia and gonorrhoea lab tests, doctor review & follow-up, delivery & return shipping and at-home sample collection.

  • Medicare STI test – $49. For those with a current Medicare card – with lab tests bulk billed to Medicare.
  • OSHC/OVHC STI test – $49. For those with Overseas Student/Visitor Health Cover – with lab tests billed to your insurer. If your policy excludes pathology, the lab invoices you – typically around $70.
  • Private STI test – $119. For those wanting maximum discretion – with lab tests included in the fee.

Any test can include the HIV self-test for $25 – chosen when you request.

What we’re often asked to confirm
  • The descriptor is “an at-home STI testing service”. Prickly is not a telehealth service: telehealth names the follow-up consultation only, and the testing itself is doctor-requested pathology with samples collected at home.
  • It isn’t a self-test for chlamydia or gonorrhoea. Those samples go to a NATA-accredited laboratory for PCR testing and a doctor reviews the result. There is one device in the box, and the conditions on naming it are under How the service works.
  • Symptoms mean in-person care. Anyone with symptoms is directed to a sexual health clinic, GP clinic or urgent care clinic, where they can be examined and often treated on the spot.
  • Syphilis is not tested at present. Prickly plans to add it when a suitable at-home option becomes available in Australia.
  • A possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours is urgent and is directed to getpep.info (opens in new tab), not to a test in the post.
  • Free HIV self-tests are available elsewhere. Anyone who wants an HIV self-test alone, at no charge, can order one from HIVTest.au (opens in new tab), run by NAPWHA. Prickly is a doctor-managed test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, with the HIV self-test as an optional extra, and says so.
  • No partner is named as an endorser. Prickly receives no payment or commission from any other provider, and nothing here implies that another organisation endorses the service.

Assets you can use

Prickly logo

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  • The Prickly wordmark in full colour

    Prickly logo colour
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  • The Prickly wordmark reversed, for dark backgrounds

    Prickly logo reverse
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Photograph of Dr Tom Morley

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  • Dr Tom Morley, black and white portrait

    Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly.
    Download JPEG (4800 × 4800)

Campaign imagery

Do not recolour, stretch, rotate or add effects to the images. The digitally generated figures are illustrations, not patients or customers. Do not caption one as either, or pair one with a test result.

  • A suburban backyard, late afternoon. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A tiled bathroom at home. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A patrolled surf beach at sunrise. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A bedroom in morning light. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A farm gate on a dry paddock. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A music festival at dusk. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A lounge room, with the dog asleep. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • An outdoor produce market. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A suburban football oval. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A seaside promenade. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A city street, mid-morning. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

  • A weatherboard verandah. Digitally generated image. The figure is an illustration, not a photograph of a real person, a patient or a customer.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (2000 × 1116)

Social ad frames

Do not recolour, stretch, rotate or add effects to the images. The digitally generated figures are illustrations, not patients or customers. Do not caption one as either, or pair one with a test result.

  • Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (1440 × 1800)

  • Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly | At-home STI testing delivered across Australia. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (1440 × 1800)

  • Prickly | Due for an STI test? Do it at home. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly | Due for an STI test? Do it at home. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (1440 × 1800)

  • Prickly | Due for an STI test? Do it at home. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly | Due for an STI test? Do it at home. Digitally generated image. Credit: Prickly.
    Download JPEG (1440 × 1800)

Website screenshots

Do not recolour, stretch, rotate or add effects to the images. The digitally generated figures are illustrations, not patients or customers. Do not caption one as either, or pair one with a test result.

  • Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.
    Download PNG (2880 × 1800)

  • Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.
    Download PNG (2880 × 1800)

  • Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.
    Download PNG (780 × 1688)

  • Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.

    Prickly home page. The figure shown is digitally generated. Credit: Prickly.
    Download PNG (780 × 1688)

Words you can use

Boilerplate

Short

Prickly is an Australian at-home STI testing service for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV, built in Melbourne by a sexual health GP. An Ahpra-registered doctor reviews every request and every result, and a NATA-accredited laboratory does the testing. Prickly is for people without symptoms.

Full

Prickly is an Australian at-home STI testing service for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV, operated by Prickly Health Pty Ltd (ABN 26 686 380 156) and made in Melbourne. An Ahpra-registered doctor reviews every request, decides whether at-home testing is appropriate, and orders the tests that fit each person’s situation. Collection equipment is delivered to the patient’s door, samples collected at home and posted back to be analysed by a NATA-accredited partner lab. Every result is reviewed by a doctor, with telehealth follow-up included where a result needs action. Testing is for people without symptoms; anyone with symptoms needs to be seen in person at a sexual health clinic, GP clinic or urgent care clinic. Prickly is LegitScript-certified and receives no payment or commission from any other provider.

Bio for Dr Tom Morley

Short

Dr Tom Morley (BMedSc, MBBS, MIPH, FRACGP) is a Melbourne sexual health GP and the Medical Director of Prickly, an at-home STI testing service delivered across Australia. He practises in community sexual health in Melbourne, with special interests in HIV, sexual health and viral hepatitis, and built Prickly so that personalised STI testing, managed by doctors from request to result, is accessible for every body.

Full

Dr Tom Morley (BMedSc, MBBS, MIPH, FRACGP) is a Melbourne sexual health GP and the Medical Director of Prickly, an at-home STI testing service delivered across Australia.

He graduated from the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, where he also completed Bachelor of Medical Science and Master of International Public Health degrees. His public health studies focussed on primary care HIV and sexual health program development in resource-constrained settings, and on international humanitarian crisis response. He moved to Melbourne in 2013 to complete his postgraduate training in general practice, for which he was awarded the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Richard Clinton Gutch Medal.

He practises in community sexual health in Melbourne, with special interests in HIV, sexual health and viral hepatitis. Outside the consulting room he works in health service delivery innovation, as a medical education advisor, and in international health in the Asia-Pacific region.

He built Prickly so that personalised STI testing, managed by doctors from request to result, is accessible for every body.

Quotes from Dr Tom Morley

Approved for use. If you need something on a subject that isn’t here, email us at hello@prickly.com.au.

On privacy

“Nothing on the box says what’s inside it, and nothing about the Private test touches Medicare or a health fund. People put off testing because of who might find out – a flatmate, a parent on the same Medicare card. Taking that worry off the table is as much a part of the service as the test itself.”

— Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly

On why symptoms mean a clinic

“If you have symptoms, at-home testing isn’t the right path, and we’ll say so and point you to a clinic. Symptoms need someone to examine you, and often to treat you that day. Turning people away is part of doing this properly.”

— Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly

On a doctor reviewing every request

“A doctor decides whether at-home testing suits you, which sites to test and what happens next. That’s the difference between a clinical service and a box in the post – and it’s why a result that needs action comes with a consultation, not just an email.”

— Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly

On testing as routine

“Most of the infections we find cause no symptoms at all, so the only way to know is to test regularly. For a lot of people the barrier was never the knowing – it was the waiting room.”

— Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly

On distance

“Australia Post reaches every address in the country. If you’re hours from a sexual health clinic, that shouldn’t be the reason you don’t test.”

— Dr Tom Morley, Medical Director, Prickly