There is concern the McGowan Government’s long-awaited new check-in app won’t be widely downloaded due to privacy concerns and the onerous process required to set it up.
Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the app was supposed to streamline the process of checking in, but many claimed it was more complicated than the existing process.
“Initial feedback has included comments that it is clunky and hard to navigate the multiple sites required to access a digital ID and the vaccination certificates and that many people have simply given up.
“The McGowan Government has had more time than any other government on the planet to prepare for the inevitable arrival of COVID into our community and get this right.
“Other states have had this app set up for months and it appears that this is very much a sub-standard version, and the government has squandered its “gift of time” to ensure it is first-class, as Western Australians would expect.
“It’s also essential that small businesses won’t bear the brunt of any frustrations felt by Western Australians as they attempt to navigate the new system.”
Ms Mettam said there are also legitimate concerns about people’s privacy and how the data will be used, and by whom.
“We know that despite the Premier’s hollow assurances when SafeWA was first launched, the data was accessed by third parties and the McGowan Government has form in being negligent with Western Australian’s private data,” Ms Mettam said.
“It’s imperative the government outlines what safeguards have been put in place, beyond verbal reassurances, to ensure that people’s private data will be protected when using this new app.”
