Ask a few people to describe the content designer role in Australian government and you may get as many answers. The published definitions are no different. A skills framework, a UK role profile, 2 state governments and an Australian Public Service (APS) cheat sheet each describe the job their own way.
Think of them as 5 yoga teachers cueing the same pose. Each one stresses a different part of the body. Each one leaves something out. Listen closely, though, and most of them keep coming back to the feet.
For content design, the feet are the user. Here is what to read, and what each source leaves out.
1. SFIA: content design as a skill
Where to find it: Content design and authoring, SFIA 9, on sfia-online.org
What it is: the content design and authoring skill in SFIA 9, the current version of the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).
Read it for: the 6 levels of responsibility, from contributing under instruction to leading content work on large programs. Its first listed activity is 'understanding the requirements of the intended audience'.
It puts email marketing, blog posts and online advertising copy in the same skill as service content. So it does not separate content design from copywriting. For that difference, read what content design is, and why it is not copywriting.
2. The UK content designer role: content design as a job
Where to find it: Content designer, on understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk
What it is: the UK government's description of the content designer role, from associate content designer to head of content design.
Read it for: the job at each of 6 levels, and the skills behind it. Content designers 'make things easier for people to understand and use'. They 'start from discovery' with user researchers, service designers and interaction designers.
A June 2026 post on the update explains why the skills grew from 6 to 8: the role 'had continued to evolve'. Most of the 8 are now shared with other design roles, as part of 'the collaborative, end-to-end design process'.
It says which UK Civil Service grade each level is most often performed at. It gives no APS classifications, so you will have to do that translation yourself.
3. Digital NSW: content design as a practice
Where to find it: Content design, in the Digital NSW Digital Service Toolkit
What it is: Digital NSW guidance on how content design works across a digital service.
Read it for: how the work is done. It says content design focuses on user needs, clear outcomes and accessibility. Its key idea is to work together early, because content design 'works best when product, design, research and content teams work together from the start'. It also says 'Before creating content, understand what users are trying to do, what information they need and what may prevent them from succeeding.'
The work continues after launch. The evidence to use 'can include usability testing, analytics and support requests'.
4. WA's Digital Services Content Standard: content design as an obligation
Where to find it: Digital Services Content Standard, on wa.gov.au
What it is: the minimum standard that Western Australian Government agencies must apply when they create content for digital services.
Read it for: 9 requirements in plain words. The first is 'Content must be designed to meet a valid user need.' Others cover plain language, structure, analytics and regular review.
Most of its requirements are about content, and others cover websites and digital services. None of them names a role. Meeting the requirements 'will fall to individual agencies'.
5. The APS content decision tree: content design as a decision
Where to find it: Content decision tree, on apsprofessions.gov.au
What it is: a cheat sheet that helps content authors decide whether content is right or ready to publish.
Read it for: the question that comes before any writing. It opens with 'Is the content based on a user need?' Then it asks whether the content belongs on your site at all, or should be a link to another website. Your answers point to keep, update, publish or remove.
It is a tool, not a job description. In this article's view, it only works if someone on your team is allowed to say no to a page.
Read side by side, these sources differ on scope, on levels, and on what counts as content. SFIA and the UK entry level both include drafting or copy edits.
What they share is attention to the user. SFIA lists understanding the audience. The UK role starts from discovery. NSW asks you to understand users before creating content. WA requires a valid user need.
Only the APS tree goes further and asks whether the content should exist at all. That question is easy to skip.
If your team's job description starts at drafting, it has skipped the feet. Start there.
Read why it matters
The standards and the free resources in this article.
Put it into practice
Work through the foundations of content design using your own work and guided prompts.
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