About 9 months ago I published a blog warning of some rather evil plans from the Vic. Government to grab great slabs of personal health information to build a Vic wide electronic health record.
Here is the link to this original article.
https://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2020/12/if-this-is-accurate-and-it-seems-to-be.html
Very kindly, a correspondent has alerted me to some actions which seem to have been hidden / suppressed quite recently, and which are really outrageous!
As you can see this is now close to becoming law!
Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2021
Status
Council - second reading (passed Assembly)
You can read all about it here:
Introduction print – Bill
591263bi1.pdf
591263bi1.docx
Introduction print – Explanatory Memorandum
591263exi1.pdf
591263exi1.docx
Here is the link:
https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/bills/health-legislation-amendment-information-sharing-bill-2021
My source suggests what we have is the following:
- Any legislation that authorises forcing the collection of all patient data going back five years is Orwellian.
- Still no opt out, not even for Doctors to object on their patients behalf.
- All details are left to the discretion of the Secretary.
- No ability for patients to request a copy of their own records. Worse, I think it might actually be an offence for a Doctor to give their patient a copy of their own data.
- It appears to authorise collection of lots of data, so they can work out what they want to do with it, If the intent is to do a trial, they should do it on a a consent/permission basis with transparency to build public trust. (not authorise the forced collection of every health record, for every Victorian going back five years..)
The Explanatory Memorandum linked on the page linked just above makes it pretty clear that all these comments are pretty much spot on.
It is astonishing that this is all being snuck into law without virtually any public awareness or reportage.
Let you Victorian friends know – and ask any journalists you know consider if there is a story here!
David.
3 comments:
Thank you David. Will certainly pass this on. Unbelievable but not surprising
The Australian Doctors Federation and the Australian Privacy Foundation have circulated media releases, each in an attempt to alert Victorian clinicians and the media. No take up thus far. The MJA will publish this discussion too in a week or so. But we need to do SOMETHING now!
I wrote to my local members (Legislative Assembly & Legislative Council) last week expressing my concern and urge other Victorians to do the same.
The Bill is outrageous and has passed the Legislative Assembly but people can still write to their local Legislative Council member now asking for its passage to be halted to enable adequate community and professional clinical input before it is too late.
More information here-
Australian Privacy Foundation Press release- https://privacy.org.au/2021/10/17/too-late-the-new-normal-state-government-slurps-up-all-patient-information/
Aust Doctors Federation Media Release - https://ausdoctorsfederation.org.au/2021/10/14/rushed-vic-government-health-database-law-raises-more-questions-than-answers/
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