Recorded on 26 May 2021.

I would like to thank the incredible Marina Yastreboff of AUSCL for her support and care in making this event possible. The original video source is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcQiBaQl2i0

For presentation details see: https://www.katinamichael.com/seminars/2021/5/26/auscl-panel-on-vaccine-passports

Vaccine Passports and the Ecosystems Perspective by Roba Abbas
Vaccine passports, intended to verify an individual’s immunisation status, are currently being considered in the Australian and the global context with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation will highlight the significant considerations relating to the design and implementation of such digital medical certificates, discussing their place within a broader health and societal ecosystem. Perspectives on ethics, access, technical integration, regulation and discrimination will be explored and situated within a socio-technical ecosystems view.

Domestic vaccine passports by Rob Nicholls
In Australia, vaccination status is recorded at the Commonwealth level as part of the My Health Record. This is managed by the Australian Digital Health Agency. In the context of federation, it is likely that each of the state and territory health departments will also wish to access the vaccination status of individuals. This presentation considers the issues associated with the concept of domestic vaccine passports at the state and federal level. In particular, it examines which organisations would want access to vaccination status and which should receive it consistent with reasonable privacy expectations of individuals. It considers a case study of an employer wishing to minimise its corporate risk by seeking to encourage all of its employees to be vaccinated.

Vaccine Passports and the Growing Digital Divide by Katina Michael
Yet another technology being rolled out in the fight against pandemic outbreaks, this time in the form of a digital vaccine passport implemented using simple 2D barcodes known as Quick Response (QR) codes. Already, Israel has rolled out a vaccine passport otherwise known as a “green” pass, and other countries in Europe and the United Kingdom are actively undergoing pilots. But will this stem the transmission of a pandemic now and into the future? What will this mean for countries in Africa, South America and Asia, and those peoples living in the West that fall into under-represented minority categories, especially when we contemplate that one can only have such a green pass if they have access to a vaccine to begin with. Is this mechanism simply favouring the “haves” and promulgating a digital divide even further? How will this affect international flight travel, access into licensed venues and other public points of interest that were once open for all to enjoy, independent of income or status? This brief presentation focuses on the manner in which government mandated technology can act to both discriminate and empower people during changing social-economic circumstances.