Australian Government Coat of Arms

Style Manual

The standard for Australian Government writing and editing

Style Manual is for everyone who writes, edits or approves Australian Government content. Use it to create clear and consistent content that meets the needs of users.

About Style Manual

Use Style Manual when creating Australian Government content.
Accessible and inclusive content

Design content for equal access.
Writing and designing content

Use this guidance to create content that’s clear and findable.
Grammar, punctuation and conventions

Reference this section for definitive rules and examples of Australian Government style.
Content types

Use the format that helps meet the user’s need. This could be a form, a blog, an image or another format.
Structuring content

Design content with a structure that helps the user navigate and understand.
Referencing and attribution

Reference correctly so users can identify the sources you use.

Blog

This is how we do it

Style Manual content is user-focused, descriptive and evidence-based. We explain what this means and how it shapes the way we work.

8 November 2022
Transitive and intransitive verbs

Knowing about transitivity can help you to write more clearly. A transitive verb should be close to the direct object for a sentence to make sense.

8 August 2022
‘Whole-of-government’, a whole can of worms …

‘Whole-of-government’ is jargon. Take care to use ‘whole-of-government’ only when it makes your content clearer.

4 March 2022

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