The Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) was trialled in 1997 under the coordination of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) to examine drug trends in three Australian jurisdictions. This work was commissioned and supported by the Australian Government Department of Health. The trial consisted of conducting the complete IDRS in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC) and South Australia (SA) (see Hando, Darke et al. (1998) for a national comparison; and Cormack, Faulkner et al. (1998) for the SA findings). The IDRS incorporated two data sources, consisting firstly of a survey of people who inject drugs, as well as secondary data sources or indicators relevant to drug use.