Doctors are not convinced on a soft drink industry plan to reduce sugar usage by 20 percent by the year 2025, a scheme back by the coalition.

The Australian Beverages Council represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry.  The group announced the voluntary plan for companies to lower the total amounts of sugar in their respective portfolios.

But skeptics note that the goal could be accomplished not by reducing sugar in a company's individual brands, but by that company simply producing more items like bottled water or low-kilojoule soft drinks.  A company's flagship brands would still have the same amount of sugar.

"This is an attempt to try and perhaps muddy the waters in terms of creating a.. diversion from the real issue," said Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Tony Bartone.  "We consume too much sugar in our soft drinks, we consume too much soft drinks in total."

Dr. Bartone says there's a better way to get Australians to consume less sugar:  "A sugar tax will address this problem of trying to reduce the consumption, which is at the heart of the problem."

Tthe Greens have proposed a percentage increase to the price of sugary drinks.  But Labor and the coalition have already stated they would not support a sugar tax.