Expansion and diversification of medical education in Australia, 1951-2000

Australia's present diverse and dynamic medical education environment has been shaped by: university funding increases by governments in the 1960s and 70s to promote Australia as a "clever" country; the Karmel Report's recommendations of increases in student numbers, new medical schools and a community focus for medical education; the successful innovations in entrance requirements and curricula of the most recent medical schools -Newcastle and Flinders; the formation of the Australian Medical Council, with a mandate to replace the British General Medical Council's accreditation of and restrictions on Australian medical school courses; the Doherty Report, which identified the close relationship between medical education, funding and workforce issues; the change to graduate entry and a four-year course for several Australian medical schools; and changing patterns of healthcare delivery, the imperative for increasing access to healthcare in rural areas, and the communication revolution made possible by information technology.