Health Minister Mark Butler urged people to uninstall the app, calling it a “colossal waste” of tax dollars.
COVID safe was previously touted “as essential as putting on sunscreen” by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
However, experts questioned the Bluetooth-based tracking method’s efficacy.
The app, which cost $14 million (£11.42 million) when it first launched in April 2020, was designed to assist manual contract tracers in identifying positive Covid infections.
Mr. Butler, who has previously called for the app’s abolition, revealed that only 17 close contacts who had not been identified manually had been identified since then.
“It is clear this app failed as a public health measure and that’s why we’ve acted to delete it,” he said.
COVID safe was created during the previous government’s refusal to accept assistance from tech titans Apple and Google, whose contact-tracking system was adopted by more than 50 jurisdictions worldwide.
It was regarded as a critical component of the government’s strategy to restore normalcy. It was, however, plagued by technical difficulties from the start.
For Bluetooth technology to work properly, an iPhone had to be unlocked, and users had to actively consent to their data being added and used.
On August 16, the app will be officially decommissioned. Mr Butler confirmed that no user data would be kept.
Mr. Morrison previously called the app a ticket to a Covid-safe Australia, saying: “It gives us protection as a nation.”
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