LIBERAL candidate for MacKillop Nick McBride has slammed the State Government’s emergency alert smartphone app after failing during a serious fire near Keith last weekend.
The Alert SA app, which has been downloaded more than 170,000 times, failed to provide updates on Saturday as a catastrophic bushfire raged through the Sherwood area.
Two houses and four structures were destroyed in the fire as it swept across more than 12,000ha.
“The Weatherill Government’s failed Alert SA app has put people’s lives at risk, but none more so than residents in MacKillop,” Mr McBride said.
“The fires around Sherwood destroyed homes, livestock, property and put human life at risk.
“Those living in the Keith and Sherwood area were put in danger because some of them could not access the vital information needed to make decisions in a bushfire.
“It’s completely unacceptable that when South Australians needed this app, it failed.
“The Weatherill Government must ensure that everyone who has downloaded the app is contacted and told to no longer use it.”
Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton said the State Government had discontinued the use of the app, with legal advice being sought “to investigate how to best protect the taxpayer”.
Mr Picton slammed the application’s developer, Ripe Intelligence, saying they were contractually responsible for ensuring 99.9pc reliability of the system.
“On the day when South Australians faced the worst fire danger conditions seen in years, the Alert SA app needed to perform and it did not,” he said.
“I am not satisfied, after meeting with Ripe Intelligence the failure experienced on Saturday will not be repeated and I and our emergency services have lost confidence in the app to provide the 99.9pc reliability as is stipulated in our contract.
“We therefore ask South Australians to not rely on the app and utilise our traditional sources of information.”
Shadow Emergency Services Minister Stephan Knoll called on the government to fund a public campaign to warn South
Australians not to use Alert SA after it was revealed more than $400,000 was spent on initially advertising the app.
“Surely it’s the State Government’s responsibility to purchase and maintain the best app possible so that lives are not put at risk, instead of splurging on advertising an app which is not up to scratch,” he said.
“The government has made the right call to stop advising people to use the app, but must do more to notify people of changes.
“Given this failure has led to a chaotic and dangerous situation, they should run a legitimate advertising campaign for once, which tells people not to use Alert SA which would be money well spent.”
