Content design Guides, templates and articles
Guides, templates and articles about content design, government communications, digital experience with a few case studies thrown in for fun.
WCAG 2.2 for writers: what you can fix without a developer
You don't need a developer to fix most content accessibility issues. What WCAG 2.2 asks of writers: headings, link text, acronyms, direction-free wording, more.
Retrofitting existing services to the Digital Inclusion Standard
Digital Inclusion Standard existing services: how to retrofit a live estate you cannot take down, triage the gaps by harm, and know when to apply for exemption.
Digital Inclusion Standard content checklist
A content checklist for the Digital Inclusion Standard: the content decision inside each of the five criteria, what good looks like, and who records it.
The Digital Inclusion Standard is not an accessibility job. Content owns part of every criterion.
The Digital Inclusion Standard covers every existing public-facing government service. What each of the five criteria asks, and the share content teams own.
AI procurement for government content
DTA AI procurement guidance covers risk, not content. Here are the accessibility, plain language, and accountability requirements to put in the contract itself.
What your privacy policy must say about automated decisions
From 10 December 2026, privacy policies must describe significant automated decisions. It is a transparency rule, and it will fail without content design.
You cannot outsource accountability for accessible content
When a vendor builds your government website, the agency still owns accessibility. Put accessibility requirements in the brief and contract before you sign off.
How to write an Alternate Access Plan
An Alternate Access Plan names each unresolved accessibility barrier and how people can still complete the task. The AHRC named the artefact. Template below.
What to measure instead of a readability score
A readability score measures sentence length, not whether readers can act. Plain language vs a readability score, why they differ, and what to test instead now.
Content design training in Australia: the five things UK-built courses leave out
Content design training in Australia largely descends from UK GDS courses. Five things Australian government content work needs that imported courses leave out.
WCAG 2.2 content requirements for government: the criteria your content team owns, not developers
WCAG 2.2 content requirements for government: the new success criteria your content team owns, not developers, and the content fix for help, forms, and sign-in.
AI content review checklist for Australian government content teams
AI content review checklist for government teams: check AI-assisted content for accuracy, plain language, accessibility, tone, and governance before publishing.
Accessibility overlays will not make your government website compliant
Accessibility overlays will not make a government website WCAG 2.2 or DDA compliant. The AHRC now says so. The real fix is content design, not a bolt-on widget.
Writing microcopy for Australian government forms: labels, help text, errors
Most Australian government forms fail at the microcopy layer. A practical content design guide for writing useful labels, help text, and clearer error messages.
Content audit metrics: the five measures that get executive sign-off
Content audit metrics that get executive sign-off: relevance, accuracy, accessibility, traffic, and decision-readiness, scored on one cover page they will read.
How to write alt text for (Australian government) websites
How to write alt text for Australian government websites: when an image actually needs it, how to describe its purpose, and who should own it in your workflows.
Year 7 reading level isn't a target. It's a constraint that should change how you write everything.
The Style Manual sets the year 7 reading level for Australian government content. Most agencies miss this target because they edit the words, not the structure.
PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the standard for accessible PDFs. Most government PDFs do not meet it.
PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the international standard for accessible PDFs. Most Australian government PDFs do not meet it. The fix is governance, not better tooling.
Content review checklist
A content review checklist for Australian government websites covering plain language, accessibility, structure, and governance. Adapt and use.