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The first 100 days: an open letter to the new Minister for Health

Lesley Russell, Stephen R Leeder, Bruce K Armstrong, James A Gillespie and George L Rubin
Med J Aust 2007; 187 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01440.x
Published online: 3 December 2007

The first 100 days after an election are full of enthusiasm, energy and chaos, and they are crucial to establishing the shape, style and content of the new government’s tenure. The electorate is eager for plans, changes and new ideas, and for election promises to become reality. Early action that is visible and accepted will secure the credibility of longer-term plans. Here, in an open letter to the new Health Minister, we state our hopes for Australian health and health care in that 100-day period

Dear Minister,


  • 1 Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney and Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
  • 2 Australian Health Policy Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
  • 3 Department of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
  • 4 Sydney Cancer Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
  • 5 Centre for Health Services and Workforce Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.


Correspondence: lesleyr@med.usyd.edu.au

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  • 7. Alter J. The defining moment: FDR’s hundred days and the triumph of hope. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

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