Ask HN: Should I give my employer all my medical records?

Absolutely print all documents you have related to this request and then contact a lawyer. If you don't have anything in writing yet, try to get something in writing ASAP(try to play dumb while you do it).

In the US this is expressly forbidden by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It would surprise me a lot if stuff in AU is even worse than here, since for the most part it is pretty bad here. Anyway, contact a labor lawyer.

I work in information security in a large organization. If I were informed about this, I’d immediately speak with Data Privacy personnel, HR, your manager and possibly your manager’s manager.

I don't know Australian law but in some parts of the world this sounds like a sweet future settlement. Lawyer up ASAP - before Monday, before they do anything. Seek support from a local professional to know how exactly to handle this situation in your favor.

To answer the question: I wouldn't ever do it. I have ADHD, there is nothing embarrassing in my med records but I would not trust any unrelated company (employer, client) to handle and erase this data safely. It's private and absolutely not intended for them.

If I may ask, what happened prior to the request of your employer? Did they found otherwise illicit drugs on you and require this documentation as a proof that you are allowed to possess it?

Context, before some one gets me wrong. My first reaction would be like the others: "illegal, invasive, don't do it".

However, trying to give a different point of view, they might need some sort of proof to justify internally or with the government something (i.e. an under-performance or too many ill days). For example, here in Italy we have the so called "protected categories", for which employers (bot public and private) must hire in a given percentage above a certain number of staff, and must have a certification of the condition causing to belong to such categories. But, this does not involve accessing patient records by any means.

So, on the baseline I agree with the others on the "don't do it line", and if I were you I would seek legal advice. But there is a small chance that it is not as bad as it seems.