New South Wales Consolidated Acts

VETERINARY PRACTICE ACT 2003 - SECT 56A

56A Confidentiality of health reports about veterinary practitioners

(1) A person must not directly or indirectly make a record of or disclose to any person any information contained in a protected health report which has come to the person’s notice in the exercise of the person’s functions under this Act, except for the purposes of exercising functions under this Act.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units.

(2) A protected health report may not be admitted or used in any civil proceedings before a court except with the consent of:

(a) the health practitioner who prepared the report, and

(b) the veterinary practitioner who is the subject of the report.

(3) A person may not be compelled to produce a protected health report or to give evidence in relation to the report or its contents in any such civil proceedings.

(4) In this section:
"court" includes any tribunal, authority or person having power to require the production of documents or the answering of questions, but does not include the Board, the Tribunal (in respect of proceedings under this Act) or the Supreme Court (in respect of appeal proceedings under this Act).
"protected health report" means a report prepared by a health practitioner in relation to the examination of a veterinary practitioner that was required by the Board under this Part.