Thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Counting the cost of alcohol is easy. Doing something about it, while preserving our right to responsibly enjoy alcohol, is not as easy. The NSW Government’s response to its Summit on Alcohol Abuse sets out to meet that tough public policy challenge.
Our plan is a considered reflection on the Summit’s 318 recommendations, the key areas for action it nominated, and the 300 public submissions that so helpfully informed the discussion.
Given the legal status of alcohol, this response is qualitatively different to that which emerged from the Drug Summit five years ago with its focus on new resources and new programs. In tackling alcohol abuse, the character of the response is, appropriately, quite different.
Improvements will come through a cultural shift towards greater awareness and responsibility, and any such change will be incremental, not dramatic. But that is not an invitation to inaction. Rather, this response sets out many things we can do to influence and accelerate the course of change – a combination of existing measures, ideas implemented since the Summit and new initiatives.
Our plan requires each public sector agency to review what they’re doing and, if necessary, reshape services and create new services. It requires each program to be carefully measured and evaluated under our evidence-based approach. And it requires a truly cooperative partnership between government, the alcohol industry, scientific and medical experts, community and professional organisations and individuals.
The health and happiness of too many Australians has been marred, often fatally, by the misuse of alcohol. It’s time the abuse stopped. We present this NSW Government response as a thoughtful contribution to that worthwhile, overdue cause. | 
