Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the My Health Records Amendment (Strengthening Privacy) Bill 2018. It's always good to follow the member for Hindmarsh, who I know has a very strong commitment to providing health services, particularly for our elderly. As speakers from this side have made very clear, Labor supports eHealth and we support the concept of a My Health Record, but we don't support this government's constant bungling of this very important issue. And, to date, its handling of this matter has been a debacle.

The fact is that government is essentially all about priorities and choices. We, on this side of the House, often point out how wrong their choices are. And, in relation to eHealth, not only are their actions and their choices wrong, but they also reflect the very chaotic approach of this government to just about everything. This government is consumed with its internal fighting and has just caused such chaos. And it is really obvious when we look at this absolute eHealth debacle. The constant bungling and shambles reflect the current state of the government. It's a sign of their overall dysfunction and the ongoing muppet show that we keep hearing about.

It's important to note from the outset that this government does, in fact, have quite a woeful record when it comes to IT security and privacy and, indeed, a woeful record when it comes to rolling out many programs. They've botched the rollout of the NBN with their inferior networks and their patchwork of rollouts that's unworkable in many locations, especially in regional areas like mine. They're botching the rollout of the NDIS, a very important program. I get many complaints—

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