Diabetes Australia CEO A/Professor Greg Johnson welcomed the Greens proposal for a 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks and said it could have a real impact on the type 2 diabetes epidemic.

“There is good evidence linking the consumption of sugary drinks to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes,” A/Prof Johnson said

“Research has found people can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 25 per cent simply by consuming one less sugar-sweetened drink a day.

“There is also good evidence that Australians, particularly children, have high consumption of sugary drinks with no nutritional benefit.

“Many countries are looking at sugary drinks taxes and the UK Government recently announced its intention to tax sugary drinks so this is not new nor unique to Australia.

“Governments know that if they want to reduce consumption of something that is unhealthy, like cigarettes or sugary drinks, they can tax them and this will reduce consumption.

“It could also drive product reformulation as manufacturers seek to mitigate the effects of the tax.

“We also welcome the decision to reinvest every dollar collected through the tax into public and preventative health and health education.”

A/Professor Johnson said the policy reflected several years of advocacy from health groups.

“This is something that Diabetes Australia and our partners in the Obesity Policy Coalition and the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance have been calling for over a number of years so it is pleasing to see it finally gain some traction,” he said.

“The National Diabetes Strategy Advisory Group, which provided input into the National Diabetes Strategy 2016-2020 also recommended the implementation of the National Preventative Health Taskforce recommendations which called for measures which increase demand for healthier food and drink while decreasing the demand for unhealthy foods.”

Diabetes Australia is the national body for people affected by all types of diabetes and those at risk. Diabetes Australia is committed to reducing the impact of diabetes. We work in partnership with diabetes health professionals, researchers and the community to minimise the impact of diabetes.