Built to
The standards behind communications, engagement and consultation
WCAG 2.2, plain language and the Style Manual, media and campaign advertising rules, statutory public notices, IAP2 engagement, privacy in submissions, the government AI transparency policy, digital service standards and records.
| Standard | Source | Requirement | Where it shows up here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | WCAG 2.2 AA (W3C); Disability Discrimination Act; AS EN 301 549 | Published content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust: alt text, heading structure, link purpose, contrast. | The publishing agent blocks anything that fails 1.1.1 alt text, 1.3.1 heading structure or 2.4.4 link purpose; nothing publishes with a blocker (GL-CE-03). |
| Plain language | Australian Government Style Manual; ISO 24495-1 plain language; GOV.UK content design | Write for the reader: short sentences, active voice, everyday words, a reading level the audience can manage. | Reading grade computed on every piece; jargon, passive voice and long sentences reported; public content above grade 12 is blocked and grade 9 is the target. |
| Brand and style | Departmental brand guidelines; Style Manual conventions for names, dates and numbers | One name for the organisation, dates written out, a measured tone. | Brand and tone checks on every piece; the full name enforced, numeric dates and exclamation marks flagged (GL-CE-08). |
| Media statements | Public service codes of conduct; ministerial and departmental media protocols | A statement on the department's or minister's behalf is a public commitment made by an accountable person. | Every media statement holds for the communications director or the minister; the delegation is checked in code (GL-CE-01). |
| Campaign advertising | Guidelines on Information and Advertising Campaigns by non-corporate Commonwealth entities (2022; ICC review and chief executive certification above $250,000); state equivalents | Campaigns must be relevant to government responsibilities, objective, not party-political, and certified above the threshold. | Campaign approval by the executive; a campaign over $250,000 cannot be approved without the chief executive's certification recorded (GL-CE-02). |
| Statutory public notices | Local Government Act (meetings, exhibition of plans and policies); Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation (notification of applications); emergency management legislation (warnings); Government Gazette practice | Notices published in the form, place and time the Act requires, with the exhibition period it sets. | The notices agent reads the services' records, creates each notice with its provision, due date and period, publishes it on the cadence and flags any late one (GL-CE-04). |
| Community engagement | IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation and Core Values; Integrated Planning and Reporting community engagement strategy requirements | Say what level of influence the public has; register and acknowledge every submission; report back on what was heard and what changed. | Every engagement carries its IAP2 level; every submission is registered, acknowledged and classified; the report counts every submission and says what will change (GL-CE-05, 06). |
| Privacy in submissions | Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles; state privacy Acts; OAIC guidance on publishing submissions | Personal information in submissions is not published without consent; sensitive details are redacted. | Personal information detected and redacted before any publication; quotes only from submitters who consented; the accountable officer decides what is published (GL-CE-05, 06). |
| AI transparency | Policy for the responsible use of AI in government (DTA, September 2024: AI transparency statements); NSW AI Assurance Framework; Australia's AI Ethics Principles; ISO/IEC 42001 | Publish a statement of where and how AI is used, what it does not do, and how people are protected; keep it current. | The AI register is built from the platform's own agents, runs, holds and guardrails; the statement is generated from it and regenerated when the register changes; the accountable officer publishes (GL-CE-07). |
| Digital service standards | Digital Service Standard (Australia); GOV.UK Service Standard; Digital NSW standards | Content and services designed with users, accessible, measured and open. | Content checks, public pages with plain wording, and the measures on the overview. |
| Records | ISO 15489; state records legislation; web archiving requirements | The published content, the notice as published and the submissions are records. | Published copies, approvals, notices and submissions kept with their events; withdrawal keeps the published copy. |