ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a major Australian policy initiatives undertaken to address the burden of disease associated with tobacco, alcohol and obesity. Australia is a large country approximately equal in geographic area to the United States, with a population of approximately 23 million. While Australia's smoking rates are comparatively low, rates of alcohol consumption, obesity and sedentary lifestyle are relatively high, and Australia's ageing population will compound the increasing disease-burden of these conditions. Although Australia has been internationally recognised for its leadership within tobacco control, relatively few evidence-based laws to reduce the impact of alcohol use and overweight and obesity levels have been implemented compared to other developed international jurisdictions. Unlike tobacco, there is no legal regulation of alcohol advertising in Australia. The existing multi-layered system of policy development for alcohol and food, which spreads responsibility vertically between national, state and local government, and horizontally across government departments, may also present a barrier to broad legislative and regulatory policy responses.
