They already know your sensitive health data (Medicare - item numbers, PBS - medicines ). As does your pharmac_ business, radiology businesses, pathology businesses, their software, their data centres etc.
Nope they do not have all my medical history in once centralized place.
You also incorrectly assume there is data about me that doesn't exist. You may take regular medication, but healthy people like me do not. It's been a decade since I've had to fill a prescription and then it was for "just in case" antibiotics to take on a trip to Latin America; I only take drugs as a last resort; as I have a drug allergies and i don't want to build up any resistance to the few antibiotics I can take by taking them unnecessarily.
I dont have a regular pharmac_ either, pop into which ever one is closest if i need something.
Not 'trusting' the government with the data is just paranoia about probably the safest link of all in the chain.
You over estimate the IT capabilities of most government departments. I work closely with cyber security experts, and you need only look at leaks like medibank private (ex government).
Im not paranoid, just sensible and I don't think they need to be storing details such as I had chicken pox in 1982, a dislocated knee in 1985 or an ear infection in 2013. The more centralised data is the more vulnerable it is in any cyber incident.
Centralised vaccination records is all i consent to at this time. There is zero benefit to me of My Health having other details.
MHR allows the individual to view it in one place ( or getting there) and to see if it's correct. Once it gets to your doctor, itbecomes their property; if you want a copy of your results, is up to them ( maybe new rules change that?). And it allows me to keep my own results of blood tests so if I'm traveling, I can produce it if needs be.
LOL must be very different in Tassie, cause in Sydney when you order pathology or x-rays/scans they ask for your email and mobile on the form, and they provide you a log-on to see the results given you are the one paying for the test/scan.
Sure your doctor (or physio if you consent) gets a copy, but I was able to download the MRI images from my knee injury and my blood test results as soon as they were available. Only an unprofessional doctor would withhold information about the patient form the patient; and that would be a red flag to find a different one.
I cant recall any instance of seeing a doctor or specialist where I didn't receive full copy of report even last century when they were on paper.
I'm confident in my ability to securely store my own records; and its far easier for me to get to my secure cloud drive than pfaff around with my gov when overseas given their 2FA requires mobile coverage; but I can authenticate or my cloud drive using other methods.
Not 'trusting' the guv'mint with health data is about the same as not trusting there tax office with your financial data.
There you go again making unfounded assumptions, trying to be clever *yawn*.
If there is a legitimate reason for the government to have data I provide it; but I dont offer up data to them just for the sake of it.
The ATO knows your employer and investment income if you have provided your TFN. They get totals for each source but they don't get visibility of every withdrawal or CC transaction unless they secure a subponea because you are suspected of money laundering or are on a terror watch list.
Under privacy act companies and government departments are obligated to not keep data longer than certain periods and are only allowed to collect data for its intended purpose. You are entitled to request a copy of all data a company holds above you under freedom of information; if they have breached retention period or for example have stored copies of you ID after validating you they have to destroy/delete those records; if you are no longer a customer you can require them to delete all your data (except that which is needed for tax purposes and even then only for 7 years).