Russell et al raise a number of pressing issues directly relevant to the health portfolio.1 However, of all the challenges that face you, perhaps the greatest is reversing the neglect and extreme health disadvantage experienced by Australia’s Indigenous people.2 Although the task is daunting, and detractors may argue that there are no evidence-based solutions, 150 years of collective experience from across the globe provides compelling support for real investment in the spheres of water, sanitation, housing, education, employment and primary health care to reverse health disadvantage. Tragically, while these basic necessities are taken for granted by most Australians, they remain a dream for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.