Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The indications were that we were somehow unwilling to listen to the concerns of the Australian community. Well, today's the day that you can judge us on that. We're here with government amendments that we've considered as part of the committee process, as part of the consultancy with the wider Australian people. I think, in the broad, there's broad agreement that there be amendments. There is concern with some elements—the opt-in/opt-out element. As many of you would be aware, this parliament in this place in 2015 universally supported legislation that supported the opt-out approach.

The purpose of the My Health Record system remains unchanged. It is to help overcome the fragmentation of health information by allowing a person to more easily access their own health information and to make it securely accessible to healthcare providers involved in their care. My Health Record is an important piece of our national health infrastructure, and it is changing the nature of health care in Australia for the better. The benefits of a safe and secure system are significant for all Australians through avoided hospital admissions, fewer adverse drug events, reduced duplication of tests, better coordination of care for people seeing multiple healthcare providers, and better informed treatment decisions. More than six million Australians already experience the benefits, with access to important health information when and where it's needed so that the right treatment can be delivered faster and more safely.

In recent months, concerns have been raised about elements of the My Health Record system, including as part of two Senate inquiries. We've listened, and this bill, as I indicated earlier, addresses those concerns. The bill will strengthen the privacy protections for the My Health Record system to remove any doubt as to how seriously the Australian government takes the security of health information. The protections enshrined in this bill are some of the strongest in the Commonwealth. The key measure proposed by this bill will restrict the circumstances in which My Health Record information can be disclosed. We will apply significantly increased penalties for the misuse of My Health Records and the system. We will require that, if anyone decides to cancel their My Health Record, the system operator destroy all of the health information it holds forever for that person.

We will prohibit the use of My Health Record information for employment or insurance purposes, regardless of where that information is accessed or held. We'll establish the governance for the use of My Health Record information for research and public health purposes and will make it clear that the information will not be available to insurers. We will ensure that if a person has restricted access to their child, or could pose a risk to the child or someone associated with a child, they will not be able to get access to the child's My Health Record. I would like to thank senators for their contribution to the debate on the bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.