$2 billion spent. The biggest contract — $746 million to Accenture — awarded with limited competition. And 70% of GPs say the system is clinically useless. Doctors call the records "incomplete, unreliable, and a liability risk." Two billion dollars for a system the people who are supposed to use it say doesn't work. 42 data breaches in three years. Healthcare workers caught snooping through patient records they had no clinical reason to view. Some breaches only discovered months later because the access logging couldn't detect inappropriate access in real time. Your most sensitive health information, protected by an alarm system that only rings after the burglar has left.
What they claim: My Health Record legislation includes safeguards to prevent unauthorised access to health records
What we found: The original My Health Record Act allowed law enforcement to access records without a warrant or patient consent. After public outcry, the government amended the act — but exemptions remained for "serious threats to life or health" which police and courts can invoke. Employers cannot directly access records, but insurers and government agencies can request data through approved channels.
What they claim: My Health Record promoted as giving Australians control over their health information
What we found: In 2018, the government switched My Health Record from opt-in to opt-out, automatically creating records for all Australians who did not actively refuse within a three-month window. 2.5 million Australians opted out — the largest privacy opt-out in Australian history — after media coverage revealed police could access records without a warrant.
What they claim: My Health Record claims world-class security for sensitive health data
What we found: Between 2019 and 2022, 42 data breaches were reported involving My Health Record, including unauthorised access by healthcare workers viewing patient records without clinical justification. The OAIC found that the system's access logging was insufficient to detect inappropriate access in real time, with some breaches only discovered months after they occurred.
What they claim: My Health Record positioned as an efficient digital health infrastructure investment
What we found: My Health Record has cost over $2 billion since inception. The largest contract — $746 million to Accenture — was criticised by the ANAO for limited competitive tendering. A 2019 AMA survey found 70% of GPs said the system was not clinically useful, with doctors describing records as "incomplete, unreliable, and a liability risk."