Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

The subject matter that the member for Perth has raised is not the subject matter of this bill at all. This is a piece of finance legislation that sets up the Medical Research Future Fund. It is important that we actually get this fund set up. I do not appreciate the delays that Labor has initiated along the way, or Labor's comments about a Senate inquiry and further huff and puff about what we are doing—when we all know very clearly what we are doing.

The member for Perth talks about data and data linkages, and that is actually a good subject for discussion and I am happy to have an offline conversation with her. I make a couple of points, however, in response to her comments. There is enormous analytical capability around the data that is collected through the MBS and PBS. We certainly acknowledge that. I know that the secretary of my department is very focused on the ability of the Department of Health to correctly and appropriately bring to bear the intelligence around this analysis. So I look forward to a ramping up of that, as we go forward.

The other point I would make is that, in correcting and replacing Labor's failed eHealth Record with the coalition's myHealth Record, a system that will be opt-out not opt-in, it will initiate the collection of an enormous amount of data from each and every Australian through their personal electronic health record. I expect that well over 95 per cent of Australians, if not more, will have this health record. You can of course choose to opt out if you wish to. That will provide an enormous amount of data that can be mined appropriately, with due privacy considerations, at a time that makes sense for medical research.

As always, I thank members of this parliament who take an interest in medical research. I would urge the member for Perth to urge her own side to pass this bill through the Senate expeditiously.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

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