The Australian Government is now in caretaker period. During this time, updates on this website will be published in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, until after the election.
Public consultation opportunities
NHMRC recognises the importance of stakeholder input into the revision of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines (the 2013 Guidelines). Planned public consultation opportunities will be communicated on the website and to the contact list.
To receive updates about the revision, please subscribe to the Australian Dietary Guidelines contact list.
Stakeholder scoping survey
During initial scoping activities, NHMRC conducted an anonymous online survey of stakeholders. The survey sought comments on:
- how the 2013 Guidelines are used
- relevant topics to be considered for inclusion in the review of the 2013 Guidelines.
The results informed the topic prioritisation process.
Public calls for evidence
To supplement the scoping and mapping work, NHMRC invited stakeholders to submit relevant, high-quality systematic reviews that address priority research questions.
The public calls for systematic reviews helped NHMRC identify relevant systematic reviews that address these questions and identify gaps in the evidence base where new evidence reviews may need to be commissioned.
The first public call for systematic reviews to address the research questions for all age groups was open from 1 August to 11 September 2023. A second call to help identify relevant systematic reviews related to older Australians was open from 4 July to 24 July 2024. All submissions were anonymous. For more information on how any submitted systematic reviews will be considered, visit Reviewing the evidence.
New evidence reviews are being commissioned for some evidence gaps where suitable existing systematic reviews to update the evidence have not been found. A public call for primary research studies to contribute to the commissioned evidence reviews was open from 19 February to 14 March 2025. Read more about the new evidence reviews and the primary research studies eligibility criteria.
Public consultation on draft guidelines
Consistent with the NHMRC Act, NHMRC will undertake public consultation on the draft revised guidelines. Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in this process to provide feedback, which will be considered before the revised guidelines are finalised.
Submissions received during public consultation will be published in full on the NHMRC website, with permission.
Development of the implementation plan
A preliminary implementation plan will be developed to communicate the guidelines to key audiences. NHMRC recognises the diversity of stakeholders for this work. They include consumers, health professionals, policy makers, educators and industry. In order to develop a feasible implementation plan, NHMRC will seek advice from stakeholders and consult on the implementation plan.
Communication log
To foster trust in the review of the 2013 Guidelines and to increase transparency, NHMRC will publish a summary of meetings, correspondence and relevant phone calls from external stakeholders relating to the review of the 2013 Guidelines. The communication log will record the contact person/ organisation, topic and the outcomes on this website.
External stakeholder interactions are included in the review of the 2013 Guidelines' Communication Log if they relate to the 2013 Guidelines' review and the communication aims to influence the 2013 Guidelines' review process and/or outcomes.
Examples of stakeholder communication that will be included:
- sending evidence (when unsolicited by NHMRC)
- outlining a viewpoint via written correspondence or phone call in relation to the 2013 Guidelines' review process or content
- requesting meetings with NHMRC to discuss the review of the 2013 Guidelines.
Exceptions to this process are requests from foreign governments and routine administrative requests from other areas of government. Communication for the purpose of making a simple enquiry or request, unrelated to the development of the 2013 Guidelines, will not be published.
The communication log is available in the downloads section (below).
Where can I find more information?
This site provides information on:
- Development of guidelines
- Scoping activities
- Prioritisation process and research question development
- Prioritised research questions
- New evidence reviews
- Communication - the page you are on
- Committees
- NHMRC’s update on the Australian Dietary Guidelines
- Frequently asked questions about the Australian Dietary Guidelines review.
The NHMRC Dietary Guidelines Team may be able to assist with your enquiry by emailing dietaryguidelines@nhmrc.gov.au.