Richo Padjen took over and the team started slipping down the rankings and hadn't been able to recover its former glory.

In September 2015, an announcement was made on the Ice Hockey Australia website that Canadian Lindsay McAlpine will be the new coach.

[5] The following year Australia again played in the qualification tournament in order to be promoted to Division I for the 2003 championships.

[5] In 2003 the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) introduced a new format for the World Championships with the inclusion of second and third division.

[5] The next World Championship in 2007, Australia improved, again gaining promotion to Division II for the next years tournament.