The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia.

[10] With the enactment of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth), the ATSB gained jurisdiction for rail incident and accident investigations on the Defined Interstate Rail Network (DIRN), consisting of the standard gauge track linking all major Australian mainland cities and ports.

[10] Commencing in January 2013, all Australian states and territories gradually adopted the scheme, with Queensland the last to join in July 2017.

[13] It is not a function of the ATSB to apportion blame or liability, instead, investigations are focused on learning from accidents and incidents and, encouraging safety action by government and industry.

[14] ATSB Transport Safety Investigators exercise statutory powers delegated by the Chief Commissioner in accordance with the provisions of the TSI Act.

[15] These powers allow ATSB investigators to interview anyone involved directly or indirectly in a transport safety occurrence.

[16] A comprehensive regime of provisions within the TSI Act is in place to maintain the confidentiality of, and legal protection for, a range of sensitive safety information gathered by ATSB investigators.