My Health privacy rules toughened

POLICE and other government officials will have to get a court order to access your online My Health Record after a successful campaign by News Corp, the Gold Coast Bulletin’s parent company.

In other changes the record will now be permanently deleted if Australians decide to cancel it instead of being kept on a government site for up to 130 years and a communications campaign explaining the roll out of the opt-out record will be strengthened.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has made the concessions in the face of growing public concern about the record.

News Corp revealed a week ago that senior doctors had major concerns that police could access the record without a warrant, and we highlighted the fact there would be no national radio, TV or newspaper advertising campaign to inform Australians about the record. Every Australian will get a My Health Record that will reveal if they have had an abortion, a mental illness, sexually transmitted disease or drug addiction unless they opt out by October 15.