Failure to publish tobacco and alcohol submissions to drug policy review 'alarming', say experts

The Australian government may have breached international tobacco control conventions for failing to publish submissions from powerful alcohol and tobacco companies to a drug policy review, according to authors of a new health study.

A paper published in the journal Public Health Research & Practice on Thursday said the industry submissions were only uncovered following a freedom of information request to the health department about the National Drug Strategy.

Dr Becky Freeman, lead author of the paper, said Australia was bound by Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires governments to protect tobacco control measures from interference from “commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry”.

Freeman said: “By not disclosing the content of the submissions and not allowing them to be scrutinised and countered before the drug strategy is developed means the strategy is vulnerable to the very interference the WHO conventions are designed to prevent.”

The framework recommends that governments establish measures to limit interactions with the tobacco industry and ensure the transparency of those interactions that occur; and ensure that information provided by the tobacco industry is transparent and accurate. “Where interactions with the tobacco industry are necessary, parties should ensure that such interactions are conducted transparently,” the articles say.

The government is in the process of updating the National Drug Strategy, an agreement between Australian, state and territory governments and the non-government sector which aims to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of licit and illicit drugs, including alcohol.

In the previous update of the NDS for 2010-16, submissions were made publicly available by the Department of Health as they came through. Consultation for the latest NDS update for 2016-25 closed more than one year ago, but those submissions have not been published, despite the draft strategy being released.

But submissions were made by tobacco company Philip Morris, alcohol peak industry bodies including the Australian Wine Research Institute, the Winemakers Federation of Australia, the Brewers Association of Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Liquor Stores Association. Carlton & United Breweries and the alcohol industry’s Drinkwise organisation also made submissions to the latest NDS.

While the names of the organisations to make submissions were revealed through the freedom of information request, the contents of the submissions were not.

Freeman said it was “alarming” that governments were still allowing industries that produced products known to cause harm to make a contribution to policy alongside health organisations, scientists, doctors, researchers and health experts.

“I find it curious we equate freedom of speech of individuals with corporations,” she told Guardian Australia.

“We don’t allow Philip Morris to issue a vote in a general election, so I don’t know why we allow them to make submissions to health policy. The government could very easily say commercial entities are not permitted to make submissions.”

Guardian Australia has contacted the health minister, Greg Hunt, for comment.

The revelations come as the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education released the findings from its eight annual alcohol poll conducted by Galaxy Research.

The survey of 1,820 Australians found 78% of respondents believe Australia has a problem with excess drinking or alcohol abuse; 81% believe that more needs to be done to reduce the harm caused by alcohol-related illness, injury, death, and related issues (up from 78% in 2016); and 61% believe that governments are not doing enough to address alcohol-related harm. And 92% of respondents said they believe alcohol is linked to family and domestic violence.

Michael Thorn, the foundation’s chief executive, accused Australian politicians of being “ethically challenged” in allowing the alcohol industry a place at the table during policy development.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” he told Guardian Australia.

“We know that these industries will seek to influence government to suit their commercial interest and this influence should be abhorred. I think many of our political leaders are ethically challenged. They fail to see what the public interest is asserting here.”

He said the latest Fare alcohol poll results should make it clear to governments that Australians are deeply suspicious and critical when it comes to the alcohol industry.

“They don’t trust what the industry says and they recognise its poor corporate behaviour,” he said.

“Fifty seven per cent of Australians say the alcohol industry targets people under the age of 18 years, and the majority, 74% of Australians, believe the alcohol industry should pay for reducing the alcohol harm it causes, and rightly so.”