Policy Analysis and Critique: Breastfeeding in Australia (Report)

This report provides a comprehensive analysis and critique of breastfeeding policies in Australia. It begins by highlighting the importance of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, discussing its benefits and the current status of breastfeeding in Australia, which is shown to be below global standards due to factors such as lack of awareness, work commitments, and physical challenges. The report then analyzes two key policies: the National Breastfeeding Strategy (1996-2001) and the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy (2010-2015), examining their objectives, implementation strategies, and impact on public health. The analysis includes the financial investments, the target groups, and the initiatives undertaken to promote breastfeeding education and standardization of maternal and child health services, providing a detailed overview of the policies' strengths and weaknesses in addressing breastfeeding challenges in Australia.

Running head: POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 1
Policy Analysis and Critique
Name
Institution

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 2
Policy Analysis and Critique
Introduction
Identification of the Problem
Ordinarily, breastfeeding is one of the precious gifts that the mothers should give to their
newborn babies. Breast milk is recommended because it has lots of benefits to the infant and the
mother as well. Research has proven that a child who feeds on breast milk gets antibodies which
help in the protection of the body from various ailments such as otitis media, respiratory illness,
childhood obesity, and gastroenteritis that a child might experience as it grows up. Besides,
breastfeeding can enable a child to be intelligent because it helps in cognitive development.
Apart from enabling the mother to create a cordial bond with the child, breastfeeding can also
bring other health benefits to the woman such as the protection against diseases like ovary and
breast cancer. This shows that breastfeeding is essential for the well-being of both the mother
and the infant. It therefore means that breastfeeding is a significant activity that must be
embraced by all the mothers because it means well for the society. If properly done,
breastfeeding can guarantee a healthy society.
The Status of Breastfeeding in Australia
Despite playing such a significant role, breastfeeding has remained a perpetual problem
in the country. According to the research conducted by government, Australia is not doing well
as far as breastfeeding is concerned. Enough evidence was gotten to prove that there are a large
number of parents who do not engage in breastfeeding. This research that was actually funded by
the government revealed that in 2004, 92% of the mothers introduced their babies to full breast

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 3
milk upon their birth. However, as time went by, the number declined to 71% by the first month,
56% by the third month, 46% by the forth month, and 145 by the sixth month. When it comes to
the parents who were using partial breast feeding, there was a 93% by the first month, 73% by
the third month, 63% by the fourth month, 56% by the sixth month, 30% by the twelfth month,
and 5% by 24 months. These are the people who were using breast milk alongside the
supplement formulas for their children. The rate of breastfeeding, though fairly static over the
past ten years, varies from one territory to the other because it is tremendously low in the New
South Wales and Victorian states. In Victoria, for instance, the rate of breastfeeding had declined
from 485 to 215 between 1950s to the 1970s. However, this rate rose to 54% by 1988 (Hull,
Schubert & Smith, 2017). On comparison to the global breastfeeding efforts, Australia ranks
low. The country’s breastfeeding rates are lower than those in the other member countries of the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) because they are fairly dong
well as far as breastfeeding is concerned.
Many Australians do not engage in breastfeeding because of different reasons. According
to the findings of the National Health Survey, most of the Australian mothers discontinue
breastfeeding their babies just a few months after birth because of ignorance. Most mothers do
not know that breastfeeding has health benefits to the child because it is the best way through
which they acquire the natural antibodies that they need to protect themselves from diseases that
might even kill them if not handled well (Cox, Giglia, Zhao & Binns, 2014). Such ignorance
might result from the cultural beliefs held on breastfeeding, its significance, and impacts on the
health of the mothers. Besides, some parents stop breastfeeding their infants because of their
daily commitments. This problem is common amongst the women who are employed because
they might find it challenging to juggle between the work and caring for the baby. Such women

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 4
often resort to supplement feeding because it is convenient and cannot interfere with their career
in any way. Last, but not least, some Australian women do not breast feed their children for
many months because they do not have enough milk in their breasts. Scientific evidence proves
that such challenges are caused by problems like the cracking of the nipples that makes it
difficult for the mothers to endure breastfeeding their kids (Smith & Blake, 2013). Some women
do not like to breastfeed in the public since they consider it as an act of shame. However, no
matter the case, each and every mother should consider breastfeeding their babies because it
means a lot to them. All he Australian parents must acknowledge that breastfeeding is the best
alternative that cannot be, in any way, comparable to the use of formula. All the necessary efforts
should be, therefore, made to ensure that all the new born babies are fed until the right time for
their weaning reaches.
Policy Analysis
The commonwealth and the territorial governments of Australia acknowledge that
breastfeeding is an area of public health concern. The statistics show that there are many
Australian mothers who do not engage in the breastfeeding of their children. The rate at which
the mothers stop breastfeeding their babies after birth is worrying (BMid, 2015). It worries
because it deprives such children of an opportunity to enjoy the right health that they require to
grow to be useful people who might be relied upon to guarantee the future prosperity of the
nation (McLelland, Hall, Gilmour & Cant, 2015). The fact that more than 50% of the Australian
children above the age of six months do not benefit from breast milk is not a light matter. The
failure of the mothers to give their children breast milk is a costly affair because it does not mean
well for the country’s healthcare sector that is forced to allocate huge amount of money to
finance children’s health (Wambach & Riordan, 2014). If the culture of breast feeding were

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 5
nurtured in the country, the government would not have to spend a lot of money in dealing with
pediatric issues the way it has been doing over the years. Hence, in order to promote the culture
of breastfeeding, the government of Australia has so far adopted two policies: the National
Breastfeeding Strategy (1996-2001), and the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy (2010-
2015).
The National Breastfeeding Strategy (1996-2001)
National Breastfeeding Strategy (1996-2001) is the first policy framework that this
analyzes. As its name suggests, this is a policy framework that the commonwealth government of
Australia adopted to help in addressing the problem of breastfeeding which has been an issue of
concern for many decades. The policy was appropriate because it identified all the weak areas
that were to be handled and came up with the strategies that would be adopted to deal with them.
In terms of implementation, it was the sole responsibility of the commonwealth government to
finance it. Because of this, the government had to set aside a total of $2 million (Sim, Sherriff,
Hattingh, Parsons & Tee, 2013). The money was used to discharge all the activities that had been
outlined by the government. After conducting a feasibility study, the government got all the
necessary data that it would rely upon to make a decision on the exact strategies to adopt in its
effort to address breastfeeding which had been identified as a priority area.
In its implementation plan, the government sought to carry out an audit on the quality and
effectiveness of the kind of training that the healthcare workers who were operating amongst the
Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islander people. The policy focused on the indigenous people
because it had been identified as a priority area. The socio-economic status of the indigenous
people put them in a bad status because they might not compete with other advantaged and

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 6
privileged and sections of the Australian urban population that had an easy access to quality
healthcare services (Maher & Hughes, 2013). This was a brilliant idea because these people were
worse-off when it came to breastfeeding matters. The new policy would, therefore, be
appropriate for them because it would equip the healthcare providers with the necessary skills on
breastfeeding (HealthInfoNet, 2014). The policy’s proper implementation would benefit the
indigenous people since it would enable them to understand and appreciate the role of
breastfeeding in their community and the nation at large. It was a commendable decision because
over the years, the Aboriginals have been lagging behind in issues lie breast feeding. Hence, by
giving them a special consideration, the quality of health of the indigenous children and mothers
would be safeguarded.
The policy also outlined its commitment to the promotion of breastfeeding education to
all the health professionals across the nation. Since breastfeeding had been identified as a
national issue, it had to be addressed from a national perspective. That is why in its
implementation plan, the government outlined that it would train all the health workers and
equips them with the skills that they were to use in educating the public and Australian mothers
on the roles of breastfeeding for themselves and their children as well. To achieve this goal, the
policy chose to adopt various initiatives through which it would roll-out this campaign (Atchan,
Davis & Foureur, 2013). One of these initiatives was the design and release of the Naturally: The
Facts about Breastfeeding kit that was disseminated to all the healthcare practitioners who were
serving in the community-based facilities across the country. At the same time, the government
was to distribute newsletters to the healthcare providers to sensitize them on the skills that they
would use in teaching the Australians how to breastfeed. Indeed, the distribution of 25,000 kits
and 30,000 newsletters was a brilliant idea.

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Finally, the policy set up a framework for the standardization of maternal and child health
services in the country. To achieve this, the government sought to a National Accreditation
Standard whose main function would be to set the standards that would have to be complied with
by all the healthcare facilities and professionals responsible for the provision of maternal and
child care. The setting of these standards was also a brilliant idea because it enabled the
government to come up with high standards that would guarantee the provision of high quality
services to the Australians (Smith & Forrester, 2013). This was indeed a good idea because there
were many healthcare practitioners who were providing sub-standard services to the mothers.
However, by coming up with the new policy, it means that only those who would meet the set
standards would qualify for accreditation. All these initiatives made the policy to be appropriate
for use in creating a behavior change and enabling the Australians to consider changing their
behavior so as to embrace breastfeeding. It was a standard policy framework that complies with
the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy (2010-2015)
The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy (2010-2015), as its name suggests, is
breastfeeding policy framework developed for use in Australia between 2010 and 2015. The
policy came into being after the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference of March 2009 in
which an agreement as made to develop a policy framework for breastfeeding in the country
(Hull, Schubert & Smith, 2017). The policy framework was developed because it was deemed fit
and would help in providing a guideline to the Australians on how to deal with breastfeeding
matters. The government of Australia decided to come up with this new policy because it was in
line with its commitment to implement the Best Start: Report on the inquiry into the health
benefits of breastfeeding that the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 8
Ageing had given out. In order to accomplish its objectives, the policy framework spelt out the
strategies that it would apply.
The first strategy that the government wanted to adopt in its efforts to implement this
policy framework is protection. Under this strategy, it was decided that the government would
come up with measures to protect the Australian population. This would be achieved through the
enforcement of the legislation process. Meaning, the two levels of governments would rely on
the legislature to come up with laws that would be used in encouraging the culture of
breastfeeding in the country (Elliott‐Rudder, Pilotto, McIntyre & Ramanathan, 2014). Over the
years, there are many mothers who have not been breastfeeding their babies because of the
nature of employment. This has been happening because there are so many employers who do
not give them enough maternal leaves, threaten to sack or actually terminate their contracts. This
leaves women with no choice, but to wean their children and subject them to supplement feeds
regardless of their age (Maycock, Binns, Dhaliwal, Tohotoa, Hauck, Burns & Howat, 2013).
Hence, to provide an ultimate solution to this problem, the policy would advocate for the
enactment of laws to protect the breastfeeding mothers from such harassments. This was indeed
a brilliant idea because most of the employers have been subjecting breastfeeding women to such
horrific experiences because of the weak legal system in the country. Meaning, with a full
implementation of this policy, this practice would definitely come to an end.
The other strategy that was proposed to address this problem is promotion. Here, the
government decided to show its commitments to the enhancement of the culture of breastfeeding
amongst its population by engaging in educational campaigns. The first educational campaign
that the government launched was the targeting of individual Australians and providing them
with all the necessary information that they needed to know about breastfeeding (Sim, Sherriff,

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 9
Hattingh, Parsons & Tee, 2013). The other mechanism that was applied in the sensitization of the
people was mass education. The government planned to use all the available print, broadcast, and
electronic media platforms to reach the people and teach them about breastfeeding. The strategy
was to be a success because it was designed to cater for the needs of the families, and
communities. The government felt that it was the right time for the Australians to acquire the
right education and empower them to be people who would actively participate in the process
(Cox, Giglia, Zhao & Binns, 2014). The use of this strategy was appropriate because it would
give the Australians an opportunity to acquire the right information that they needed to know
about breastfeeding. Ignorance has been an impediment because hinders many Australian
mothers from breastfeeding their children (HealthInfoNet, 2014). Therefore, by emphasizing on
such an education campaign, the new policy would be doing justice to the Australian children,
women, and the entire population.
This policy framework was properly designed. It is in line with the international
standards because it adheres to the expectations of the WHO which has been at the fore front of
advocating for the practice of breastfeeding across the globe. According to the WHO,
breastfeeding should be prioritized because it is more beneficial than the use of formula. The
WHO recommends that formula should be used to feed infants only if the parents do not have
any other choice. WHO also advocates for public education and considers it as the most
important tool to use in empowering communities and bringing the desired behavior change
(Balogun, Dagvadorj, Anigo, Ota & Sasaki, 2015). The ideas that were expressed in this policy
were, therefore, suitable and appropriate for the Australian population. It was a national policy
that was targeting the people from all corners of the country. Meaning, its full implementation

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 10
would have a national impact since it would help in encouraging everyone including the
indigenous communities that had been neglected for many years.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy has been a good policy whose aim was to
increase the rate of breastfeeding in the country. The commonwealth government of Australia,
alongside its partners demonstrated a commitment in addressing the problem of breastfeeding
that had become a perpetual issue in the country. The effectiveness of the policy was seen in the
way it emphasized the need of protection and promotion. Many segments of the Australian
society like the indigenous have been lagging behind in matters of health because of their
socioeconomic status. It would be appropriate if the policy prioritizes such people and give them
a due consideration before adopting any such policies (McLelland, Hall, Gilmour & Cant, 2015).
However, despite the good plans that were outlined in the policy, it has not succeeded in altering
the people’s attitude towards breastfeeding. There is still a large section of the Australian
population that does not practice breastfeeding because one reason or the other. Breastfeeding is
still a challenge in the country. There are millions of Australian children who are still deprived of
the breast milk from their mothers (Chen, Binns, Liu, Maycock, Zhao & Tang, 2013). This is a
clear proof that the policy has not been effective in creating the desired behavior change and
motivating the Australian mothers to prioritize breastfeeding for their children. In this regard,
this paper concludes by giving one recommendation.
The government of Australia should adopt a collaborative approach when dealing with
breastfeeding matters in the country. Although the government has a leading command over the
health-related matters in the nation, it can be a bright idea if it always works in conjunction with

POLICY ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE 11
territory governments, local administrations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the
international organizations like United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the WHO. For
the government to increase the rate of breastfeeding and ensure that all the children are breastfed
up to the recommended age there should be a strong partnership amongst all these stakeholders.
Each of them has an important role to play in dealing with this challenge (Chen, Binns, Liu,
Maycock, Zhao & Tang, 2013). Hence, whenever there is a new policy to be adopted, each of
these stakeholders should be actively involved because they have important contributions to
make. When the state and commonwealth governments, for instance, speak with one voice, they
can succeed in formulating and implementing an effective policy framework for the benefit of all
the Australians. However, apart from fostering a good partnership with its stakeholders, the
government should focus on promotion and consider it as the most effective strategy that can
help in creating the desired behavior change and impact on the Australian mothers. The
government should carry out intensive health awareness campaigns to equip the people with all
the information that they need to know about breastfeeding before convincing them to embrace
and use it as the best alternative for their babies.

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BMid, L. M. P. B. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Implementing research to
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