Personal privacy and public health: "I've had to delete my SafeWA app and burn my AstraZeneca t-shirt"

June 18, 2021

ABC Mornings News Panel guests criminal barrister Linda Black and doctor and writer Bruce Powell, discuss whether the WA Police use of data from the SafeWA app was a breach of privacy.


"I've had to delete my Safe WA app and I have had to burn my AstraZeneca t-shirt," Dr Bruce Powell said.


"What am I supposed to do when the goal posts around SafeWA privacy and the vaccination go around so fast, I don't even know which way to kick."


Linda Black described the actions by police as "deplorable".


"I think it is absolutely deplorable behaviour by the Police Commissioner, to take advantage of what he described as a loophole in the terms and conditions in circumstances where he knew that people had been prepared to give up their essential privacy in order for the protection of the greater public good, and the protection of all of our health," she said.



Listen to the full conversation on Mornings with Nadia Mitsopoulos.


The DonateLife logo: a fuchsia heart shape formed by three rotating arrows, with the text
By Bruce Powell March 17, 2026
Reflective insights from a former ICU doctor on organ donation, community trust, ethics, and the quiet realities behind transplantation.
Watercolor painting of a rusty blue and orange kettle with a wooden handle. Splattered with blue and red paint.
By Bruce Powell March 10, 2026
Scammers rely on urgency and confusion. The Kettle Rule shows how slowing down, even making tea, can break the spell and protect vulnerable people.
Man at a microphone, in a recording studio, holding a coffee and working on a laptop.
By Bruce Powell March 5, 2026
AI has industrialised deception, making scams harder to detect. As trust becomes procedural, can AI also help us defend ourselves without replacing human judgement?
Person touching cheek, arrow pointing down. Signifying 'to think'.
By Bruce Powell February 26, 2026
Sometimes the hands hold stories that the mind can not carry.
Boy  swimming in ocean, facing away, head above water, blue sky.
By Bruce Powell February 6, 2026
High performance is about managing cognitive load to make good decisions.
Wrinkled alien face with a glowing blue eye, wearing a metal headpiece.
By Bruce Powell January 20, 2026
Why everyday life after brain injury demands elite performance skills. Cognitive load, fatigue management and system design explained by Dr Bruce Powell
Split image comparing NASA cockpit and supermarket aisle to show cognitive overload in brain injury
By Bruce Powell December 15, 2025
A powerful reflection on cognitive overload, showing why brain injury patients must use high-performance strategies just to shop at Christmas.
AATPHRM conference logo
By Bruce Powell December 7, 2025
Trauma reshapes the brain and identity itself. A former critical care doctor reflects on PTSD, humour as armour, and why honesty is the first step toward recovery.
By Bruce Powell November 29, 2025
Up to 70% of WA prisoners have a brain injury yet lose Medicare, GP access and oversight. A human rights crisis affecting identity, PTSD and survival.
An unfinished path are stones
By Bruce Powell November 24, 2025
A personal story of rebuilding life after brain injury, told through the process of creating a home, rediscovering identity, and finding renewed meaning.
Show More