National cabinet will meet on Wednesday and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is expected to push Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reduce the seven-day period to five days.

But Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes says it’s time for Australians to take personal responsibility for their health and treat COVID like any other infectious disease.

He argues people will stop complying with testing and mandatory isolation periods, particularly when federal government support payments cease at the end of September.

“This is trying to get ahead of that curve, so you can actually live with COVID going forward as opposed to continue responding and having a community that is not necessarily listening,” he said on Tuesday.

“There’ll be people out there now not testing and we want to avoid that, we want a transparent, inclusive approach so people don’t have to make hard choices.”

Hayes said Australians had learned the importance of staying home when sick during the pandemic and that behaviour should be encouraged in the future.

“Personal responsibility is paramount and I think this is our opportunity to start to pivot to that,” he said.

The prime minister said his state and territory counterparts would seek advice from the chief medical officer on reducing isolation requirements, when national cabinet meets.

Perrottet’s views on the matter were well known but national consensus was needed, Albanese said.

“Instead of the six states and two territories going different ways we’re trying to get everyone on the same page so that there’s consistency in the regulations and the rules,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said it was clear the country was moving into a phase of the pandemic with shorter isolation.

“The arrangements otherwise that were in place at the height of COVID will start to unwind, and I think that’s what the community expects,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“We’ll see more advancements in the immunisation program and that’s all a good thing, but people need to get back to work and people need to reunite with their families.”

ACTU president Michele O’Neil said any decision on isolation periods should be left to health experts.

“It”s very important that governments at a federal and state level listen to the very best health advice and they make decisions about isolation and other matters based on that health advice,” she said.

-AAP