Albanese government kills COVIDSafe app, calling it a 'colossal waste' of money
The Albanese government has scrapped the COVIDSafe app after it lay dormant for almost two years.
Health Minister Mark Butler released a statement claiming his government has "acted to delete the wasteful and ineffective" app.
The COVIDSafe app was introduced during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 by the Morrison government with hopes it could contact trace close contacts.
READ MORE: Australia's richest suburbs and jobs revealed
The COVIDSafe App - once touted as a must-have for all citizens - is being decommissioned. Supplied
In April 2020, former prime minister Scott Morrison described the app as "Australia's ticket to a COVIDSafe Australia".
However, after the app launched concerns were raised about its privacy, security and effectiveness.
Butler claims the app has cost taxpayers more than $21 million while it lay unused for the better part of two years.
"This failed app cost taxpayers more than $10 million in developing the app, a further $7 million on advertising and marketing, $2.1 million on upkeep and more than $2 million on staff," Butler said.
"The failed app was a colossal waste of more than $21 million of taxpayer's money."
READ MORE: Landlord's agonising dilemma over rental hikes
The new government has scrapped the COVIDSafe app. Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald
Not only did it cost taxpayers a significant amount over its two-year duration, but Butler also claimed the app failed to do what it was intended to - identify COVID-19 cases and close contacts.
"Since it was launched in April 2020 only two positive COVID-19 cases were identified through the app, which were not found by manual contact tracers," Butler said.
"The app only identified 17 close contacts that hadn't already been identified through manual contact tracing."
READ MORE: Huge explosion rocks Russian airbase
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said the app was a waste of taxpayer's money. The Sydney Morning Herald
Butler said there were 7.9 million registrations on the app between April 2020 and May 2022 but fewer than 800 registrants consented to the government using their data for contact tracing.
Now that the app has been scrapped the health department will no longer collect data from it and it will be removed from app stores.
"The Department is working to delete all COVIDSafe app data as soon as possible, and no COVIDSafe app data will be retained," the statement said.
READ MORE: What we know about Langya, the new virus detected in China
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
