Officials knew WA police were accessing Covid-19 data ahead of election
Revelations about access to Covid-19 check-in data may have undermined public confidence in the system
One of Western Australia’s most senior public servants knew ahead of Labor’s overwhelming election win that WA police were accessing Covid-19 check-in data in contrast to the government’s promises.
Documents tabled in WA’s parliament on Thursday night revealed that WA’s Department of Health director general David Russell-Weisz had “multiple conversations” with WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson about police use of SafeWA app data in the weeks leading up to the March poll.
WA Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook promised the SafeWA check-in data would only be used for Covid-19 contact tracing when the process was made compulsory in December last year, but police began accessing the data to assist in investigations that same month.
That access only came to light publicly this week when WA Attorney-General John Quigley introduced emergency legislation designed to close off the data to police.
The Australian also revealed this week that the terms and conditions of the app noted that foreign “government authorities” could potentially access the data “in limited circumstances”.
Liberal MLC Tjorn Sibma said it had become clear that senior public officials had been aware of the police use ahead of the WA election.
“This government campaigned on a ‘safe and strong’ mantra, it relied upon a great amount of public goodwill and trust in the systems they established. If this information came to light in the course of the election campaign, then potentially voters would have made another decision,” he said. It emerged during the parliamentary debate that police had issued seven “notices to produce” data collected by SafeWA. Information was handed over for three notices, including two related to the assassination of former bikie leader Nick Martin. Two notices are still pending, while one was not complied with due to “technical deficiencies”.
Amid the focus on the integrity of the app, registered check-ins have remained steady in WA.
The revelations about the police use of the data and the potential for access by foreign agencies, Mr Sibma said, showed that the government had failed to ensure the data would always be used in an appropriate way. He said that while he would continue to use the app, the government had clearly breached the public’s trust.
“It’s been clearly demonstrated that you should not and cannot take the government at their word,” he said.
Liberal MLC Nick Goiran told parliament Dr Russell-Weisz had written to Mr Dawson on the eve of the election and described the multiple discussions the pair had had about police access to the SafeWA data.
Mr McGowan has previously said he became aware of the police access to the data in early April and met with Mr Dawson on April 14 to request police to stop accessing the information.
After Mr Dawson indicated police would not stop until the loophole was closed, the government began drafting the legislation.
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