Australian Government Writing Handbook

The Government writing handbook is a handy writer's guide for every public servant. It is a companion to the Australian Government Style Manual (Style Manual), but with greater focus on the craft of writing.

Drawing from Style Manual guidance, it covers the style elements people frequently use in government writing, and provides examples and practical tips.

The handbook contains guidance about how to:

write for your readers
write so your meaning is clear
review your writing effectively.

The handbook is valuable because everyone in government writes. It is the most common way we communicate:

with executive government
within the Australian Public Service
with the Australian public.

This learning experience has been provided by the Australian Public Service Commission.

Participant benefits

write with your readers in mind
respect people’s time by writing content that is readable and usable
write clearly and concisely.

Considerations

The Government writing handbook is a companion to the Australia Government Style Manual.
Both resources are useful as separate resources and as complementary resources.