On 18 March 2004, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) publicly released its accident report on a fatal accident that occurred at Hamilton Island in September 20021 . A finding of this report was that the possible adverse effects on pilot performance of fatigue, recent cannabis use and post-alcohol impairment could not be discounted. In this report, the ATSB made a number of recommendations, relating to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) jointly establishing the safety benefits of the introduction of a drug and alcohol testing program to the Australian aviation industry for safety sensitive personnel. It was stated that, wherever possible, this program should harmonise with existing and evolving national and international regulations. The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the Hon John Anderson MP, announced on 18 March 2004 that he supported the ATSB recommendations and asked CASA and DOTARS to jointly develop terms of reference and review this issue. The review aimed to comprehensively examine the safety benefits of introducing a drug and alcohol testing program for the Australian aviation industry.