Slip, slop, app — tracing the ‘$2m failure’ of COVIDSafe

Scott Morrison said the COVIDSafe app was Australia’s ticket to freedom, April 29:

I would liken it to the fact that if you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have got to put sunscreen on.

Health Minister Greg Hunt went with blatant bribery. Twitter, May 2:

Want to go to the footy? Download the app.

ABC News, April 27:

Downloading the app is voluntary but the government has previously said 40 per cent of Australians, or 10 million people, need to take up the … app for it to be a success.

Close but no cigar. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert, Sky News, July 7:

6.5 million Australians, over 40 per cent, with a mobile phone have downloaded it. It’s one of the greatest debuts in the world.

How many times has it been used? Robert again:

My understanding is it’s about 90. Don’t quote me, I could be slightly off.

Fact check, Nine News, Monday:

The government’s much-hyped COVIDSafe app has been labelled a “$2m failure” after not helping contact tracers identify any people who could be exposed to coronavirus.

Tell us more:

In Victoria, where there has been 1437 cases … and in NSW, where there is an outbreak at a pub at Casula in Sydney’s southwest, no contacts have been identified solely from the app. In Queensland and South Australia, no one diagnosed with the virus had the app … in Western Australia there have been no cases of community transmission to make it useful.

Should we be surprised? The Sydney Morning Herald headline, February 20 last year:

My Health Record opt-out doubles to 2.5 million people.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, May 6:

One of the issues raised … is that there are some people with phones in Australia where the operating system is quite old and therefore this app is not compatible. I can say that over 90 per cent of the market in Australia have operating systems which are compatible. So that means there are 10 per cent of phones which we may not be able to fix that issue.

If the government’s own people won’t touch it … Eric Abetz, ABC, April 20:

Like Barnaby, I am distinctively opposed to these things

The Prime Minister blames da yoof, 2GB, July 6:

(It) isone of, if not the, most secure COVID-related app anywhere in the world and actually one of the most, if not the most successful. And people were worried about privacy on that. But they’ll load their dance moves up on TikTok in the afternoon.

Good for the goose? ABC reporter Monte Bovill, Twitter, Sunday:

TikTok users are being targeted with ads encouraging them to download the Australian government’s COVIDSafe app

Bill Shorten drops a trademark zinger, Nine Network’s Today, Tuesday:

Labor gave support in principle, if the app could help make us safer. But I have to say, it looks like an expensive dud, another IT bungle … when you go out … you have to write down on a piece of paper with your pen, your phone number. Like, congratulations, government. We’re now in a situation where we’ve rediscovered pen and paper is our best tracing app.