The Government Has Introduced A New Portal To Access The NEHRS / PCEHR.

I spotted this a few days ago when going to have a look at my NEHRS record

Suddenly we had a new colourful portal.

You can see for yourself.

https://my.gov.au/LoginServices/main/login?execution=e1s1

Before you create an account you may wish to check out the Terms of Use.

Terms of Use

Version 1.0

1. Introduction

These terms describe your rights and responsibilities as a user of the my.gov.au website (myGov). To create a myGov account, you must accept these terms. myGov is operated by the Commonwealth Government Department of Human Services (the department).

Once you have established your myGov account, you will be able to access member services, which include Centrelink online, Medicare online, Child Support online, DVA Services online and eHealth online (collectively and individually, the member services). The member services are provided by the department, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Health and Ageing (each of which is an Agency). Additional member services (provided by other agencies) may be added over time.

The department may make changes to myGov and these terms at any time. If those changes affect your rights or responsibilities, the department will notify you and you will be asked to accept new terms of use. If you are notified of new terms of use, you must accept the new terms before accessing your myGov account.

2. Your Responsibilities

2.1 General

You must:

• not access or seek to access any other person's myGov account;
• not permit any other person to use your user name and password;
• keep your myGov account user name, password and your secret questions and answers secure at all times; and
• let the department know immediately if you suspect that the security of your myGov account may have been compromised eg: your password or username has been lost or stolen. Contact the department using the details at contact us.

You should:

• change your password regularly; and
• keep your details updated.

2.2 Lawful purposes

You agree to use your myGov account only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of myGov by any third party. This includes conduct which is unlawful or which may harass or cause distress or inconvenience to any person, the transmission of obscene or offensive content or disruption to myGov.

You must not post or transmit via your myGov account any unlawful, defamatory, obscene, offensive or scandalous material, or any material that constitutes or encourages conduct that would contravene any law.

2.3 Information that you provide on myGov

If, within your myGov account or the member services, you are asked to provide information, the information you supply must be complete and accurate. You acknowledge that if you supply incomplete, inaccurate or false information, the department may decide to suspend or terminate your myGov account.

2.4 Other Agency terms

When you link to and use member services, you may be required to accept and comply with the separate terms of use of those member services. Those terms of use are in addition to these terms and, where they relate to the member services and your use of them, take precedence over these myGov terms.

Your use of myGov and having a myGov account does not:

• affect or reduce any obligation any Agency owes you in respect of the provision to you of member services; or
• affect or reduce any obligation you owe to any Agency in respect of your receipt of member services.

2.5 Your myGov account

If your myGov account is not available for any reason, alternative access to member services may not be available through the relevant Agency's website. However, you can communicate directly with the relevant Agency in writing, by telephone or in person.

You may close your myGov account at any time.

3. Our Responsibilities

3.1 General

The department will take reasonable care in providing information and services through the myGov website. However, the department does not accept liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense (to any person or property) including consequential or indirect loss or any loss of profits, data or revenue that could arise as a result of your use of myGov, including your use of your myGov account.

3.2 Privacy Statement

This statement applies to personal information provided to the myGov website. The department is required to comply with the Privacy Act 1988.

The department collects personal information that you give it through myGov, such as your email address. We will use your personal information to establish and administer your myGov account.

If you wish to link your myGov account to a member service's online account, the department will transfer you to that member service's website landing page to undertake an authentication process to ensure that your myGov account is linked to the correct record.

The department will only use your personal information, or disclose it to another organisation, or government agency, for a different purpose if you consent to that other purpose, or that other purpose is required or authorised by law.

The department also collects information about how you use the myGov website (such as browsing and searching patterns). The department collects this information to improve its website service. In doing this, the department will not identify you, or your use of the website, unless authorised by law.

If you wish to access your personal information, or discuss privacy issues associated with myGov, please call the department's Customer Relations on 1800 050 004 or the TTY phone on 1800 000 567.

For more information about our privacy practices, see our privacy statement.

3.3 Security

The department has responsibilities relating to the security of your myGov account information and will use all reasonable endeavours to meet these responsibilities.

Your myGov account information can only be accessed by department officers who are authorised to access this information. All access by the department to myGov is audited and monitored by the department and officers are trained on a regular basis about their privacy obligations.

The department will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that your information is not corrupted or changed. For more information please see our security statement.

The department is responsible for:

• the security of information while it is collected by, stored on or passing through the myGov systems; and
• the security of the links from the department's systems to systems under the control of Agencies.

Agencies are responsible for the security of information while it is collected by, stored on or passing through systems within their control.

3.4 Linked websites

The department takes all reasonable care in operating your myGov account but the Agencies are responsible for authenticating you for the purpose of accessing the member services. The department accepts no responsibility in respect of how the member services operate (other than member services that the department operates). The department makes no representation that the material on any linked website does not infringe the intellectual property rights or any other rights of any person. The department does not authorise or accept responsibility for the reproduction of any material on myGov or any linked website.

4. General

4.1 Suspension or termination of your myGov Account for breach of terms

If you breach these terms of use, the department may decide to suspend or terminate your myGov account.

4.2 Severance

If any of these terms of use are held to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal for any reason, the remaining terms will continue in full force.

4.3 Governing law

These terms of use are governed by the laws of the Australian Capital Territory, Australia and you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Australian Capital Territory.

----- End Terms.

Initially what worried me was that the portal seemed to want to have be accept these terms on each login. However I noticed on the screen that somehow it was my first login when it was actually my second:

Welcome

This is your first sign in

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Fortunately on the third log-in things were much smoother and less time wasting - although it is still slow and annoying with steps that could be avoided with a dedicated portal.

Of course the PCEHR is still also slow and annoying while I must say the myGov portal is a model of responsiveness in terms of speed and screen painting. Maybe the MyGov team there could chat to the PCEHR team?

David.