The new minimum limit for a single drinking session follows a review by the National Health and Medical Research Council and will apply equally to men and women.

A draft of the guidelines attracted controversy when it was released last October, saying that neither sex should have more than two standard drinks per day.

But the council’s committee head Jon Currie said the two-drink limit will stay and said the old, safe limit for men – four drinks – would become the absolute upper limit.

“There’s a new section there that says on any occasion, if you’re going to set a top limit, you really need to set a limit of four drinks at the moment,” Professor Currie said.

“So our definition of binge drinking will drop as well.”

The changes drew condemnation from health professionals and former federal health minister Tony Abbott.