The Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia - 10 October 2008 - Strong Support for Preventative Health Taskforce Guidelines

10 October 2008 - Strong Support for Preventative Health Taskforce Guidelines

Strong Support for Preventative Health Taskforce Guidelines

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) commends today's Preventative Health Taskforce release of the discussion paper: Australia: the Healthiest Country by 2020. The Taskforce suggests targets for reducing risky consumption of alcohol, tobacco consumption, halting the rise in obesity and closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

ADCA Chief Executive Officer, David Templeman said "Alcohol is a significant cost burden to the nation's economy, conservatively estimated at $15.3 billion per annum (Collins & Lapsley, 2008). ADCA welcomes the emphasis on reducing the prevalence of harmful drinking by 30% by 2020."

"ADCA will work with the consultation process to argue for harm-minimisation policies that increase the sensible consumption of alcohol, noting that while most Australians drink below long-term levels of harm, short-term, excessive consumption of alcohol is a major contributor to Australia's health problems. One in five Australians drink excessively at least once per month", said Mr Templeman.

Studies have shown that excessive drinking contributes to 40% of assaults, in NSW almost 75 % of police calls involve alcohol. Risky consumption of alcohol costs over triple the amount of alcohol tax received.

ADCA encourages action at both the State and Federal Government levels, and within our communities to shift our drinking culture away from intoxication to a culture of enjoyment. ADCA advocates for:

· Addressing issues of alcohol tax and pricing.

· Managing the physical availability of alcohol, in terms of hours of sale and outlet density

· Increasing regulation of alcohol marketing; and

· More efficient data collection to better inform alcohol policy decisions.

As the national peak body for the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector, ADCA has spent the past 18 months conducting a campaign to highlight the cost of excessive alcohol abuse, culminating in the 2008 drug action week - tagged: Alcohol is a drug - TOO!. Our mission is to support the delivery of effective evidence-based AOD initiatives.

"ADCA congratulates the Government for making alcohol one of the main health priorities, noting that 95% of drug-related harm is caused by alcohol and tobacco. We look forward to working with State & Territory AOD peak bodies, and Governments to create and implement effective community-based solutions to reduce risky, excessive consumption of alcohol" said David Templeman.

10 October 2008

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