Influencing the labelling of alcoholic beverage containers: informing the public

In 1990, a small research project costing about Aus. $4500 conducted in a Perth shopping centre directly influenced the development of a national policy within 4 months of its completion. The policy in question is a recommendation by Australia's Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy that all alcoholic beverage containers should carry labels indicating the number of 'standard drinks' they contain. The purpose of this paper is to describe the events leading up to so unusual an event with a view to discerning what factors may have been critical for its occurrence. The paper attempts to analyse the nature of the interactions between the research team and the policy makers. It is argued that the critical factors included there being a favourable policy climate created by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, the support of influential public servants and, in turn, politicians, the consultative process which lead to the study's design and the manner in which the findings were disseminated.