It had to happen somewhere, sooner or later. Hilariously, it’s occurred in South Australia, home of the notorious pizza box strain of coronavirus; the one with no symptoms because it didn’t exist.

The experience hasn’t stopped state’s chief public health officer from saying QR code scan check-ins should stay after the pandemic eases to help contain future disease outbreaks.

Professor Nicola Spurrier — who won the nickname “Spurious” after the fake pizza plague panic — made the comments in an interview with local media.

Spurrier admitted “it would be hard to convince people to have the energy to keep scanning in”, yet described the outrageous invasion of privacy “a total game-changer”.

And that was just a warm-up ahead of a truly extraordinary justification.

“The way humans have impacted on the natural environment in terms of flora and fauna sets up the right environment for pandemics,” Spurrier said in the interview. “With climate change, we expect to see different infections coming to different parts of the world.”

Her authoritarian ambit claim has been too much even for the police.

“I’d like alco testers installed in all cars so you can’t drive a car if you’re drunk but that’s not going to happen so I think we have to be pragmatic about this,” Commissioner Grant Stephens told local ABC Radio this morning, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.

“The QR codes were introduced for COVID-19, my commitment as a part of the decision- making team has been this is for only COVID-19, and once no longer required people will not be required to check in.”

However, despite the Commissioner’s comments, the state government has frighteningly declined to pour cold water on Spurrier’s perturbing power grab — or Spurrier herself — and reject her brainfart out of hand.

A Liberal administration might be expected to reject a proposal for an offensive intrusion into its citizens’ right to privacy from some batty bureaucrat.