Coronavirus: Contact tracing tool’s performance ‘variable but helpful’

The officials behind the Morrison government’s COVIDSafe app have conceded there are still issues with the contact tracing tool.

The officials behind the Morrison government’s COVIDSafe app have conceded there are still issues with the contact tracing tool, saying while the performance of the software is “highly variable” on iPhones, it can still assist health authorities with identifying active coronavirus cases.

At a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday into the government’s response, it was revealed that 5.1 million of the nation’s 16 million smartphone users had installed the app on their phones.

Digital Transformation Agency chief Randall Brugeaud said while the $1.5m app was being “constantly improved”, the quality of Bluetooth connectivity “progressively deteriorates” when IOS devices were locked and had it running in the background. “I cannot provide a view that the app will work 100 per cent of the time with all handsets where the devices are locked,” he said. “There will be circumstances where the app does not capture a bluetooth handshake.”

He flagged that Australia would be “one of the first” adopters of Apple/Google’s application programming interface to fix Bluetooth issues and improvements would be rolled out over the app’s lifespan.

“Within a fortnight or so — it depends on timing of the Apple Bluetooth release — the performance will be as good in locked phones as it is in unlocked phones,” he said.

Scott Morrison has repeatedly said the government would need at least 40 per cent of Australia’s 16 million smartphone users to install the app for the device to be effective, but questioning from Labor senator Murray Watt revealed the Prime Minister’s target was not based on information from the Department of Health.

Acting departmental secretary Caroline Edwards said every single user was helpful. “I’ll take one, I’ll take 10 per cent, I’ll take the five million we’ve got … and if it gets to 40 per cent and beyond, I’ll be even more delighted,” she said.

Senator Watt also expressed concern about the link between app downloads and the lifting of restrictions on businesses.