Alcohol consumption is behind only smoking and obesity among leading contributors to the burden of disease in Australia. For the first time in over a decade, Australian governments are developing a National Alcohol Strategy, and plan to finalise it in 2018. The draft contains evidence-based recommendations but lacks a framework for accountability, and the Commonwealth Minister of Health recently suggested that the alcohol industry help devise the final version. We recommend that the Government rely on advice from health experts for health policy, pre-specify outcome indicators, commit to modest activities initially, to develop momentum; and commission independent evaluation after 3 years.
Keywords: alcohol; national strategy; policy.
© 2018 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.