Liberal government backbencher Tim Wilson will not be having his medical files included in his own government's My Health Record system.
My Health Record will create a record for every Australian or resident with a Medicare card or number later this year, unless they opt out of the system during a three-month period between the start of last week and the middle of October.
Over the past six years the government has invested over $2 billion in creating a digital health record system to store patient information such as allergies, medical history and medications. But getting patients and doctors to sign up has been a slow task.
Six million people have so far signed up for a record under a system that required people to opt in. But the government has now changed the rules so that unless people opt out, a record will be created for them later this year.
On Monday morning last week 20,000 people opted out of having a record created on their behalf, with many citing concerns about the security of the records, privacy concerns, and who has access to the records.
Wilson, the MP for Goldstein, told Sky News on Monday that he believed the system should have stayed opt in rather than opt out, and that he had decided against participating in the online health record.
"I have opted out of the system, and ultimately it’s up to everybody to choose what to do, because of course people who don’t currently have access to their medical records — there is some benefits to the system in terms of efficiency and access to your medical records under the new system put forward by My Health Record," he said.
The Labor Party, which brought in the opt in health records when in government in 2012, still backs the system, but the party's shadow minister for health, Catherine King, has argued that the opt out period needs to be extended, and there needs to be a new comprehensive public awareness campaign about My Health Record.
"The government has failed to effectively communicate with the public about what My Health Record is and the potential benefits it could bring," she said in a statement. "It has also failed to explain to people how their rights will be respected and their privacy protected."
The Australian Digital Health Agency, which is overseeing the record, is refusing to say how many people have opted out to date, telling BuzzFeed News last week that no numbers will be released until after the opt out period has ended. BuzzFeed News has filed a freedom of information request for the number of Australians who opted out in the first week.
Health minister Greg Hunt defended the system, stating last week there had been "no data breaches" in the six years the system had been operating.