Review of Rail Safety 1999

In April 1999 the Australian Transport Council (ATC) agreed to the establishment of an independent review of rail safety arrangements in Australia, focusing particularly on the interstate system. A Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT) steering committee, comprising industry and government representatives, developed the review brief and supervised the conduct of the review by consultants Booz-Allen & Hamilton. The report was finalised in September 1999.

ATC Ministers considered the report at their meeting of 12 November 1999, and agreed that:

• the report's main recommendation of two new statutory bodies for interstate and intrastate rail safety regulation and investigation not be progressed; and
• the ATSB develop a national rail safety statistical database to better identify safety trends in the rail industry.