Vaccine passport technology trials to begin this week

Australia’s vaccine passport technology will be tested around the world this week, as home quarantine trials in Adelaide prepare to take on international arrivals.

Dan Tehan says QR codes will be sent to the US, Britain, Japan and Singapore in the next week to ensure the ­technology works in time for borders reopening. Picture: Martin Ollman

Australia’s vaccine passport ­technology will be tested in major cities around the world this week to ensure it is compatible with the nation’s prospective travel bubble partners, as home ­quarantine trials in Adelaide prepare to take on international ­arrivals.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan on Sunday revealed that the QR codes at the heart of the Morrison government’s plan to kickstart global travel will be sent to the US, Britain, Japan and Singapore in the next week to ensure the ­technology works in time for borders reopening.

It comes as Australian Defence Force personnel prepare to be the first to try home quarantine in South Australia, after Premier Steven Marshall declared a trial of quarantining interstate arrivals using facial recognition and geolocating a success.

Once the nation hits the 80 per cent double-vaccine threshold in the national cabinet road map out of the pandemic, vaccinated ­people are expected to be allowed to travel, and home quarantine to be largely the norm for double jabbed Australians and travellers coming from overseas.

Australia is expected to reach the 80 per cent threshold in mid to late November.

Mr Tehan said on Sunday the trials of vaccine passport technology – mainly to see if the technology is able to be used overseas – will help thousands of Australians who want to travel, but they will need to be vaccinated to get on a plane.

“That will go out to all our overseas posts but, you know, obviously, the focus is making sure that it will work with the Pacific Islands, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the UK, the US,” Mr Tehan told Sky News. “That QR code that will be linked to your passport which proves your vaccination certification, we’re beginning to trial that internationally … this week.

“It’s going to be very difficult to travel without (vaccines), given that the airlines – most of the ­airlines – are saying that you’ll need proof of vaccination. Most countries are saying that there will be some sort of proof of vaccination certification. Now, over time, that might change, but we want to make sure that we’re ready to be able to do it.”

It is understood that the QR code trials will be purely technical in nature next week.

Home quarantine trials in South Australia will start imminently after the government had success with a pilot program of nearly 50 people who entered the state from Sydney last month. ADF personnel will be the first to test home quarantine but it is expected to be broadened in coming months.

Mr Marshall – who has pledged to open his internal borders once the nation hits 80 per cent vaccination – told Sky News on Sunday that the scheme could be replicated throughout the country.

People quarantining at home in the SA trials have to download an app that makes sure they are at their residential address using multiple check-ins, facial recognition, and geolocation. The home quarantine period for the moment is still 14 days.

A similar app exists for interstate arrivals in Western Australia and has been used for some months. The app has also been used by AFL players in the finals bubble in Perth.

The NSW government is also investigating South Australia’s home quarantine app to roll out when it begins to come out of lockdown next month.

Scott Morrison said on Sunday that home quarantine was an integral part of reopening the international borders and removing arrival caps. “The technology is there to do it. It’s just important that the states get in a position to scale that up, so vaccinated Australians, once we hit 80 per cent, can take off again,” he said in Sydney.

The Prime Minister also announced an additional 400,000 vaccines would be directed to hotspots in Melbourne this month, after the government secured one million Moderna doses from the EU. Mr Morrison said everyone from 12 to 59 years of age could now get vaccinated.