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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 33 asked in the Legislative Council on 16 February 2022 by Hon Dr Brian Walker

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — SERVICEWA APP

33. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:

I refer the minister to the rollout of the ServiceWA mobile application.

(1) Am I correct in assuming that the app will not automatically update the information of users who have received a third booster vaccination so as to show that they are fully vaccinated, but would require that a user goes back through a variety of steps to reload their information from MyGov?

(2) If yes to (1), by what date will users be required to reload their information to retain their fully vaccinated electronic status?

(3) What steps, if any, is the government taking to inform the public of any such requirements, and what help is available to those who may not be particularly computer literate to make the process as smooth and seamless as possible?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1) Yes. Under existing Services Australia arrangements, a vaccination certificate can be refreshed only at the instigation of the user. This applies to not only the ServiceWA mobile application, but also all other applications used by other jurisdictions for the purposes of proof of vaccination.

(2) The policy settings are continually being renewed to consider changes at a national level.

(3) Two significant public awareness campaigns—television, radio, digital, out of home and social media—have been conducted to inform the public of Western Australia on the ServiceWA app; alternative digital and non-digital options for providing proof of COVID-19 vaccinations; and the requirements for businesses and citizens. These messages are also reiterated in other campaigns related to COVID-19. In addition, to further support the public, the new 1313WA telephone service was established and is available to assist users in installing the ServiceWA app. A step-by-step booklet has been produced and widely distributed to libraries, at train stations, shopping centres and sporting events. The booklets are also being provided to the Council on the Ageing, the Citizens Advice Bureau, other culturally and linguistically diverse community representative groups, as well as all members of Parliament. Pop-up helpdesks have been activated at shopping centres in metropolitan and regional areas to assist people with accessing their proof of vaccination and setup the ServiceWA app. Step-by-step videos, including translated versions, have been published on wa.gov.au. The WA government will continue to provide assistance and education as required throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.