Concerns over bushfire phone warning system

Civil liberties groups have raised concerns over the Federal Government’s proposed national bushfire warning system, which will let authorities track the movement of any person in a disaster zone through their mobile phone.

Tender documents show the technology will be able to locate survivors of natural disasters, terrorist attacks and disease epidemics.

But privacy advocates say there are not sufficient mechanisms to protect phone owners from abuse of the system and have called for tighter privacy controls.

Telstra and Optus will bid for the system, which is expected to be in place before the bushfire season.