The federal government is preparing a multimillion-dollar initiative to create a QR code-supported vaccine passport that will allow Australians to freely travel overseas for the first time since international borders were sealed last March, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The plans were reportedly given the green light by the national cabinet’s expenditure review committee, which hopes the QR code certificates will allow vaccinated Aussies to travel without having to quarantine. It would involve linking a traveller’s vaccination status, as logged on their MyGov account, with a new vaccination certificate platform or digital border declaration system. The “vaccine certificates”, as they are being described, are being developed by Services Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
While the cabinet were in agreement that these vaccination certificates should be used to allow international travel, there was not a consensus on whether they should also be necessary for interstate travel. The SMH reports that prime minister Scott Morrison believes making vaccination a requirement of interstate travel will incentivise more Australians to get the jab faster, thereby fast-tracking the federal government’s four-phase, non-binding proposal for exiting lockdowns. Modelling by the Doherty Institute, released on August 4, shows that 80 per cent of Australians aged over 16 will need to be vaccinated before lockdowns can be retired altogether.
Under the plans leaked to the SMH, Australians would be able to prove their vaccination status by downloading a unique QR code through their MyGov account, which can then be stored in a digital wallet on a personal device. There are also proposals to make hard copies available in the form of a card, similar to a Medicare or ID card, or simply an option to allow people to print off their personal QR code at home. The federal government has already reached an agreement with both Apple and Google to allow digital wallets on both iPhones and Android devices to host vaccination status documents via MyGov accounts in digital wallets.
According to reports, the Coalition’s more conservative members are resisting any mandatory vaccination policies. Other MPs have agreed in principle to vaccine certificates being required for interstate and international travel, but do not support vaccination status being used by businesses like restaurants, bars and supermarkets. Many countries with more advanced vaccine rollouts have introduced vaccination requirements for activities like attending major sporting events, nightclubs, tourist attractions and other public venues where social distancing is impossible to enforce.
International vaccine certificates could be available as early as October. Qantas has also recently confirmed that it will produce its own digital health pass for international travel, which confirms that passengers have clearance to fly, both by being fully vaccinated and by returning a negative test result 24 hours prior to departure. Many countries around the world that have resumed international travel have strict entry criteria requiring vaccination, including many European countries, the United Kingdom and the United States.