Govt wants to stop pregnant women drinking

Alcoholic mothers-to-be will be offered practical support to stop drinking during their pregnancy.

The government will spend $9.2 million on discouraging women from drinking during pregnancy as part of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) plan.

The scheme will implement targeted approaches to better prevent and manage the issue by helping women reduce and ultimately cease drinking in the lead up to the birth of their child, Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash told the Senate on Wednesday.

The plan includes the development of a new $500,000 diagnostic tool to help doctors identify pregnancies at risk.