This standard supports agencies to design, write, approve, send and monitor outgoing correspondence in a way that builds trust, reduces avoidable contact, protects sensitive information and supports accessible digital government services.
Outgoing correspondence includes letters, emails, SMS, digital notifications and other direct communication sent by agencies to individuals, businesses or organisations.
Communicate transparently and proactively
Agencies should:
- define the service events that require outgoing correspondence, such as decisions, eligibility changes, requests for information, changes to entitlements and confirmation of submitted information
- send correspondence at the appropriate points in the service journey where recipients need to understand what has happened, what it means for them and what they need to do next
- include information recipients need to understand the purpose of the correspondence, any decision or change, required actions, due dates, review rights and how to get help
- include trusted contact details and sender information in outgoing correspondence
- use a registered sender ID for SMS where available and appropriate.
Write correspondence that is simple, clear, inclusive and relevant
Agencies must:
- write correspondence in plain English and follow the Australian Government Style Manual for structure, inclusive language, tone, punctuation and formatting
- apply relevant digital experience, access and inclusion requirements when designing correspondence templates and delivery channels
- align correspondence to the Australian Government Branding Guidelines where they apply.
Agencies should:
- maintain approved correspondence templates, content standards and governance processes
- use human-centred design methods such as user research, content testing and feedback analysis to design and improve outgoing correspondence
- ensure correspondence is consistent with related digital channel content including terminology, instructions, contact details and next steps
- test digital correspondence and templates with assistive technologies before deployment and when templates change.
Manage correspondence consistently across channels
Agencies should:
- use digital channels as the default where appropriate, while maintaining accessible alternatives for people who cannot use digital channels or need support to access them
- maintain approved templates for common outgoing correspondence types, including letters, emails, SMS and digital notifications. Templates should have a clear owner, approval process, review date and version history
- keep an auditable record of outgoing correspondence, including what was sent, when it was sent, the channel used and the recipient or recipient group
- monitor delivery failures, returned mail, bounce-backs, complaints, support requests and user feedback to identify correspondence that is unclear, inaccessible, insecure or ineffective
- review outgoing correspondence templates and rules when related policy, service, legal, security or channel settings change, and on a regular review cycle.
Securely identify recipients and protect sensitive information
Agencies must:
- apply privacy, security and access controls to reduce the risk that correspondence is sent to, accessed by or disclosed to the wrong person
- verify recipient identity before sending correspondence that contains personal, sensitive or protected information
- ensure that each stage of the communication chain between sender and recipient, meets legislated privacy, security and access requirements.
Agencies should:
- use identity, access and permission controls to determine trust between individuals, organisations, services and devices
- avoid asking recipients to take unsafe actions such as sharing passwords, or sensitive information through untrusted channels.