Coronavirus: Easing on cards as COVIDSafe app target in sight

The government is confident more than 5.2m downloads of the COVIDSafe app will lead to an easing of social restrictions.

The COVIDSafe app has reached 5.2 million downloads. Picture: AAP

The Morrison government is confident that more than five million downloads of the COVIDSafe app will encourage state and territory leaders to ease social restriction measures in Friday’s national cabinet­ meeting.

About 5.24 million Australians had downloaded the COVIDSafe app by Thursday, out of about 16 million smartphone users.

The number is about one million off Scott Morrison’s 40 per cent target but government sources say its uptake is high enough to begin reducing restrictions.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said there was no specific target number for the app that would be needed for shutdowns to be ­relieved, but he said a higher uptake would give national cabinet more confidence that authorities were in a position to react, respond and deal with any outbreaks.

“And what we are seeing now with 5.2 million people already, well ahead of schedule. More than a week ahead of where we had hoped it might be at this point of time,” Mr Hunt told Sky News.

“That is something that can give, and will give, the national cabinet the confidence that it is one of Australia’s elements in fighting and beating this virus and protecting the … population.”

Mr Hunt said the app would keep its users safe and allow authorities to respond to clusters.

“It helps when there is an outbreak such as we have seen, whether it was northwest Tasmania­, whether it is in different times in parts of ­Sydney,” the minister­ said.

“We are seeing now a particular cluster in Melbourne.

“It can give early advice, early warning. It keeps you safe, it keeps your family safe, it keeps our health workers safe.”

Education Minister Dan Tehan said downloading the COVIDSafe app would support the reopening of universities and schools.

“There are more than 350,000 teachers and principals in Australia and more than 137,000 people working in higher education who should download the app because it enables early notification of possible exposure to COVID-19,” Mr Tehan said.

“While the majority of states and territories have reopened their schools, or have a plan in place to do so, by downloading the COVIDSafe app we can further strengthen our existing safety protocols to protect students and teachers.

“When it comes to universities, our priority is opening campuses for face-to-face learning for domestic and international students ­already in the country and mass downloading of the app will support­ that process.”

In a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, Digital Transformation Agency chief executive Randall Brugeaud warned that the app would not work 100 per cent of the time.

“There will be circumstances where the app does not capture a Bluetooth handshake,” Mr Brug­eaud said.

Attorney-General Christian Porter released an exposure draft of legislation on Monday for the app’s privacy protections, which includes maximum criminal penalties of five years’ jail or $63,000 for misusing COVIDSafe data.

The penalties will be legislated by an amendment to the Privacy Act, bringing COVIDSafe’s use under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

The legislation will come before­ parliament this week.