This volume comprises a collection of invited and selected contributions presented at the 16th International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy in Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia, 13-18 July 2003. The papers report developments in laser spectroscopy and related areas including: new ultra-precise spectroscopic measurements based on optical frequency combs including tests of the stability of the fundamental constants; the first successful production of cold antihydrogen; the first realization of Bose-Einstein condensation in cesium and ytterbium; the behaviour of ultra-cold bosons and fermions in optical lattices; the production of ultra-cold cesium, helium and fermionic lithium molecules; the production and coherent transport of ultra-cold atoms in microtraps on the surface of chips; the implementation of one- and two-qubit quantum algorithms and experiments towards a scalable quantum computer based on trapped ions; and new medical applications of laser spectroscopy.