Many business owners are uncertain about their rights and
responsibilities in relation to collecting and handling health
information about employees and workplace visitors in the context
of the coronavirus pandemic.
Common questions include: (1) am I permitted to collect this
information, (2) how much can I reveal to others about the
information collected, and (3) in the case of employees, does the
employee record exemption in the Privacy Act in some way
alleviate my responsibilities as an employer?
Collection
"Health information" falls within the definition of
"sensitive information", which is regulated by the
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). "Sensitive
information" is a subset of "personal information"
but is subject to more stringent rules.
