Senate debates

Thursday, 15 November 2018

Bills

My Health Records Amendment (Strengthening Privacy) Bill 2018; In Committee

9:53 am

Photo of Helen PolleyHelen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader (Tasmania)) Share this | Hansard source

To assist Senator Bernardi: from the outset this government has bungled the process. The amendments that have just been moved by the government were in fact ones that we have been pushing hard on. But, even though they have attempted to pick up our concerns, as usual they have continued to bungle the process. The government's proposed restrictions only apply to national system employers, a definition that excludes state public sectors and local governments. Despite the government saying that they would ban employees from requesting or requiring My Health information, these amendments don't actually do that. That's why we have moved in our amendments a further amendment to strengthen the concerns that we have and why I moved that we take sheet 8574, circulated in my name. We do appreciate the fact that the government has finally got on board in supporting our amendments and proposing the ones that they did and that, at the end of the day, they've followed the lead of Labor on this very important initiative.

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