Coronavirus: QR code won’t fit with IT platform

Daniel Andrews has defended his states’s failure to install a QR code check-in system ahead of retail and hospitality businesses reopening.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has described his state’s late Covid check-in system which is still in development as a ‘best-in-class system’. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Victorian Premier Daniel And­rews has defended the state’s failure to have a QR code check-in system up and running ahead of retail and hospitality businesses reopening on Wednesday, citing­ the issue of compatibility with the existing IT platform for contact tracing.

NSW and the ACT have had QR (or quick response) code technology up and running since last month, allowing users to scan their contact details using a smartphone app as they visit shops, restaurants and gyms.

But despite having had longer to get organised before reopening, Mr Andrews said on Wednesday he could not announce a date by which Victoria would have the system established.

“There are many different reasons,” he said when asked why not. “We’ve moved to an entirely­ new IT platform. I see some speculation today about a system that operates in the Australian Capital Territory.

“That’s not a system that can be easily plugged into the best-in-class system that we are building, so we’ll have more to say about QR codes in the broadest range of settings soon, but you have to build one that works seamlessly with the new IT platform that we’ve built that has helped us deliver these sorts of (coronavirus case) numbers.”

Mr Andrews said NSW had recently been able to move to a universal QR system “because they have been open for longer and, if you like, they’ve taken more steps than we have.”

“We’ll get to where they are but it will take us a little while,” he said. “There is a lot of work going on and we’re close.”

Meanwhile, Victoria’s upper house voted on Wednesday to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the Andrews government’s contact tracing failures.

Liberal MLC Georgie Crozie. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The Coalition motion passed in the Legislative Council, where Labor holds 17 seats and the Coalition 11, with a crossbench of 12.

Former Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek was absent, but all other members of the crossbench voted in support of establishing the parliamentary legal and social issues committee inquiry, to be chaired by Reason Party leader Fiona Patten­ and begin hearings on December 14.

Members of the committee include Labor MPs Jane Garrett, Tien Kieu and Kaushaliya Vag­hela, Liberals Wendy Lovell and Craig Ondarchie, Hinch Justice Party MP Tania Maxwell and Ms Patten.

Coalition health spokes­woman Georgie Crozier said that while the government‘s hotel quarantine program had started a second wave of coronavirus which has claimed the lives of 800 people, “Labor’s inept contact tracing system … led to widespread community transmission of COVID-19 and ­prolonged the second wave”.

“Contact tracing is how you put a ring around the corona­virus and stop it from spreading,” Ms Crozier said.

“Labor’s failure to implement an effective contact tracing system­ has contributed to 800 Victorians losing their lives.

“The families of those who have lost loved ones due to Labor’s incompetence deserve answers.

“The social and economic impact­s have been widespread and devastating.

“Every Victorian has been affect­ed by the failures of Daniel Andrews’ contact tracing system, and every Victorian deserve­s to know the truth.”