As the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all too well, good health policy depends on prior planning, decisive action, and a willingness to spend money.

But there’s another area where Australia’s willingness to plan and spend has fallen far short: monitoring breastfeeding rates.

A newly released international report reveals that 41% of babies worldwide are exclusively breastfed for their first six months — well short of the World Health Assembly’s target of 50% by 2025.

Australian data are missing from the latest report because the infant feeding data have not been collected.