Posted on May 22, 2023  

Alcohol HarmAlcohol IndustryCorporate Consumption ComplexPolicyResearch

New research examining alcohol industry contributions to inform the development of Australia’s national alcohol strategy exposes numerous ways the alcohol industry misrepresents science.
The present study analysed alcohol industry submissions into Australia’s National Alcohol Strategy to determine the content of these submissions and the ways in which evidence was used and misused.
This study describes five common assertions made by the alcohol industry in their attempts to influence the development of the Australian National Alcohol Strategy.

Through identifying these assertions, the study provides an understanding of the policy issues for which the alcohol industry is most concerted in directing their efforts.
The alcohol industry is misusing evidence in their submissions to government consultations to make their assertions about alcohol policy. It is therefore essential that industry submissions are scrutinised and not accepted on face value.
This demonstrates the need for tighter regulation of the alcohol industry, akin to the regulation of the tobacco industry under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

SOURCE: Drug Alcohol Review 2023  RELEASE DATE: 21/05/2023 Download PDF

Unpacking assertions made by the alcohol industry and how they make them: An analysis of submissions into Australia’s National Alcohol Strategy

Key points

  • Submissions into government inquiries and policy processes are one way in which alcohol policy can be influenced in Australia.
  • The alcohol industry frequently contributes to such processes, with previous research demonstrating that they commonly misuse and obscure evidence to make their arguments.
  • The present study analysed alcohol industry submissions into Australia’s National Alcohol Strategy to determine the content of these submissions and the ways in which evidence was used and misused.
  • The study found that the alcohol industry consistently made five common assertions:
    • ‘Drinking alcohol in moderation has health benefits’;
    • ‘Alcohol isn’t the cause of violence’;
    • ‘Targeted initiatives, not population level alcohol policies, are needed’;
    • ‘Strong alcohol advertising regulations are not necessary’; and
    • ‘Minimum unit price and pricing and taxation policies more broadly are not needed’.
    • The industry also frequently misused and misrepresented evidence.
  • Systematic scrutiny of submissions made into government policy processes is required to ensure that policy makers are aware of misinformation and poor-quality evidence when policy decisions are being made.

The study’s lead author Mia Miller, from the Menzies School of Health Research, told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Alcohol companies and lobbyists use a lot of evidence in their submissions, which I think is a way to try and position themselves as credible and trustworthy stakeholders in policy debates. Only when you drill down into the detail like we have in our study do you see that the industry are consistently misquoting and misrepresenting evidence.”

Mia Miller, study lead author, and PhD student and research associate at Menzies School of Health Research

(Source: Movendi International )

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