My Health Record system
The submission to the Senate Standing References Committee on Community Affairs’ Inquiry into the My Health Record system was prepared by the Law Council. The Law Council acknowledges the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee’s Inquiry into the My Health Records Amendment (Strengthening Privacy) Bill 2018. The Law Council’s submission to that Inquiry will be provided separately.
This submission responds to the Inquiry’s following Terms of Reference:
- the expected benefits of the My Health Record (MHR) system;
- the decision to shift from opt-in to opt-out;
- privacy and security, including concerns regarding:
- the vulnerability of the system to unauthorised access;
- the arrangements for third-party access by law enforcement, government agencies, researchers and commercial interests; and
- arrangements to exclude third-party access arrangements to include any other party, including health or life insurers;
- the Government’s administration of the MHR system roll-out, including the prevalence of ‘informed consent’ amongst users; and
- how the MHR system compares to alternative systems of digitising health records internationally.
You can read the full submission below.