Initial consultations were held in NSW from October 2004. Formal consultations were held in Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. Early consultations were informal, designed to seek the views of content experts on particular components (e.g. environmental health, health promotion). Later consultations were organised through Reference Group members representing various jurisdictions. Prepared material introducing the project was sent out to participants prior to each consultation. All consultations were face to face. The number of participants varied from one or two, to larger groups of up to fifteen, and the duration varied from one to three hours.