ARPC Writing guide approved November 2023.pdf

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ARPC Writing Guide

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Introduction
As an Australian Government corporation, ARPC follows two primary style guides:
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Treasury Editorial Guidelines: the Treasury Guidelines are a quick guide to help organisations within the
Treasury portfolio.
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Australian Government ‘Style Manual’ (the Manual): the Manual is the definitive resource for developing
government content. ARPC references the Manual to create clear and consistent content.
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We also use our own list of ARPC acronyms
This guide will provide context on ARPC’s writing style, including grammar, bullet points (lists), capitalisation,
punctuation, correct use of acronyms and abbreviations, and spelling.
Please also note that the Australian Federal Government uses Plain English principles when developing content. Below
is a screen shot from the Treasury Editorial Guidelines, which is good rule to keep in mind as you commence writing
content on behalf of ARPC:

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Tone of voice
Tone of voice is how a brand communicates and connects with its audience through messaging and customer
interactions. ARPC’s tone of voice is professional. This means formal and expert but also friendly and accessible (where
possible). Refer to ‘would I really say that?’ on page 3.
Internal vs external communication
It’s important to keep your audience in mind when developing content. Is this message intended for the ARPC team
(internal) or ARPC external stakeholders?
ARPC’s internal tone is relaxed but professional. Internal communication should help build our culture, so the tone of
voice should reflect this. Internal collateral and communications should be approachable, transparent, and honest. It’s
also good to keep in mind that your internal content may end up going outside ARPC either by mistake, or as part of an
Freedom of Information request. It’s a good rule of thumb to do the ‘headline test’; if this was on the front page of the
Sydney Morning Herald, how would our business be impacted?
ARPCs external tone is professional and formal. External communications help build our reputation as a trusted expert
and reliable source of truth. Its key that our external collateral and communications are seen as reliable, trustworthy,
and easy to deal with. We encourage you to reach out to the Communications team early if you intend on drafting
content for external stakeholders.
Finally, all ARPC content should be written in clear, concise, and inclusive language that can be easily understood by a
wide audience. Make sure that all reports, emails, print, and web content, are accurate, informative, and user-friendly.
The use of Active vs Passive voice
Make sure to write in active voice. Voice in grammar refers to verbs and may be passive or active. For example:
Passive voice occurs when the agent is not the subject:
Delight was expressed at the excellent results by the Minister.
Active voice occurs when the agent is the subject:
The Minister expressed delight at the excellent results.
As you can see from the above example, passive voice is usually more long-winded whereas active voice is direct and
helps create shorter sentences.

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Using acronyms, abbreviations, and references
When using an acronym, the first reference in the text should be in full, with following and subsequent mentions using
the acronym or abbreviation. For example:
Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC) welcomes Scott Unterrheiner as the new Chief Financial Officer
(CFO). ARPC is delighted that our new CFO…
When using abbreviations, be sure to spell them out in text (like ie and eg) and avoid using etc. where possible. For
example:
i.e. that is

e.g. for example
When referencing legislation, use full text: section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph. For example:
Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act 2003 Part 2 - Insurance for terrorism risks, Subsection 6: Declared terrorist
incidents, paragraph 1(a).
When using an acronym in large reports, such as the Annual Report, the first reference in each chapter should be in
full, with subsequent mentions using the acronym or abbreviation. That said, this should not detract from a document
being drafted with ‘one ARPC voice’ so use commonsense when deciding what practice to follow and check with the
Executive Sponsor.

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Common ARPC acronyms and abbreviations
Below is a list of common terms used at ARPC and their acronyms/abbreviations. A full list can be found at Appendix 1.
ARPC style is to spell out the full term and its acronym in the first instance, such as Terrorism Reinsurance Pool
(terrorism pool) then use the acronym throughout the document. If it is a large document like the annual report,
consider whether to spell out the term at the beginning of each chapter before reverting to the acronym throughout
the chapter. This is because some stakeholders will only read one or more chapters rather than the full document.

Acronym/Abbreviation
Full detail
ARPC
Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation
CEO
Chief Executive (Dr Chris Wallace)
CCCO
Chief Claims and Customer Officer (Jason Flanagan)
CFO
Chief Financial Officer (Scott Unterrheiner)
COO
Chief Operating Officer (Victoria Simpson)
Chief Risk and Governance Officer (Samantha
CRGO
Lawrence)
CUO
Chief Underwriting Officer (Michael Pennell)
cyclone pool
Cyclone Reinsurance Pool
DCE
Declared Cyclone Event
DTI
Declared Terrorist Incident
GWP
Gross Written Premium
Public Governance, Performance and
PGPA Act
Accountability Act 2013
TCI Act
Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act 2003
terrorism pool
Terrorism Reinsurance Pool

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Grammar, punctuation, conventions, and style
Reference the below section for definitive rules and examples of ARPC style. More information on grammar,
punctuation, and conventions can be found on the Manual website here.
Punctuation
Punctuation has rules for correct use and ARPC encourages writers use minimal punctuation to make content more
readable and succinct. Minimal punctuation means removing unnecessary punctuation, not all punctuation. Only use
punctuation that makes the sentence grammatically correct and the meaning clear.
Contractions
Contractions are shortened words. People will read and understand contractions depending on their context. Avoid
contractions in formal text, such as writing content that will go external to ARPC. Instead of using ‘etc’ rewrite the
sentence using ‘such as’ or ‘including’.
it is
it’s
do not
don’t
Contractions can be used in informal text, such as in Teams channels, internal communications, internal emails, and
newsletters, and on ARPC’s internal SharePoint page as appropriate.
Hyphens
Hyphens connect words and prefixes so meaning is clear. ARPC uses a non-breaking hyphen in:
•  adjectives formed from two or three words such as medium-term, part-time, and up-to-date
•  doubling of the same vowel, such as pre-eminent, except in the case of cooperate and coordinate.
Italics
Italic type contrasts with roman type. It draws people’s attention to convey meaning. Use italic type sparingly as it can
affect readability. ARPC uses italics only when referring to a specific Act:
the Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act 2003 (TCI Act) stipulates…
Quotes
Use single quotation marks, except for quotes within quotes. Use a left indent in italics for block quotes longer than 30
words, without quotation marks.

Split infinitives
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When writing content for ARPC, avoid splitting the infinitive verb. For example:
to pay fully
to fully pay
to develop fu further
to further develop
Do not split the infinitive verbs as in the following list example.
Bob wants to:
prove that the ghost is a hoax
see the ghost or
to capture the ghost.
Bob wants:
to prove that the ghost is a hoax
to see the ghost or
to capture the ghost

Lists (bullet points)
Lists are series of items. All lists have a 'lead-in' (a phrase or sentence) or heading to introduce the list. Use lists to:
•  help users skim information
•  group related information
•  help users understand how items relate to each other
•  show an order of steps
•  arrange information by importance.
No punctuation is required at the end of listed points that are not full sentences, except the last which takes a full stop
to show that the series is complete.
If the list is introduced with a complete sentence, and if each dot point is a complete sentence, start with a capital
letter and finish with a full stop.
If all dot points in a list begin with a sentence fragment, one or more full sentences can be added to any of the items,
with a full stop only at the end of the series. A sentence fragment is the beginning of a sentence that is completed in
each bullet point.  Do not capitalise bullet points that are sentence fragments.

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Capitalisation
•  Capitalise the first word in a sentence. Use lower case for all other words unless those words include proper
nouns. This is called ‘sentence case’. Use sentence case for:
•  opening quoted speech within a sentence
•  headings.
•  Do not use all capitals for headings unless the visual design for the content meets WCAG 2.1 in all respects.
•  Capitalise names of specific people, bodies, departments, groups, divisions, or entities. For example: Minister
of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. For more information on names
and terms, see the Manual here.
•  Capitalise Federal Acts – whether singular or plural. For example: the Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act
2003.
•  Rules for capitalisation and punctuation differ from rules for terms spelt out in full. The rules depend on where
the terms are in the sentence. The spelt-out form might not need initial capitals, even if an acronym or
initialism has them.
Use shortened forms only when it supports plain English and use normal capitalisation practices for proper and
common nouns. If in doubt, check a dictionary.
If the shortened form represents a proper noun, start each word with a capital letter. For example: ‘NSW’ is
written out as ‘New South Wales’.
•  Lower case should be used for general insurance terms, for example, when using ‘insurer customers’, ‘cyclone
event’, ‘gross written premium’, ‘sum insured’, and other generic insurance financial terms.

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Decimals, numbers, and number formats
The following section outlines ARPC’s approach to numbers in writing. As per the Manual, ARPC’s style for numbers
and measurements supports accessibility and readability for users.
When decimal numbers are less than one, a zero should always be placed before the decimal point. For example:
0.25
.25
Write numbers as numerals in economic and statistical material. For example:
As a result, $776 million in annual premiums will now be collected by the cyclone pool – a 10 percent, or $91
million reduction in premiums, from $867 million.
In narrative text, spell out the number if it is under 10 and if the number starts a sentence. For example:
The new National Terrorism Threat Advisory System is a scale of five levels to provide advice about the
likelihood of an act of terrorism occurring in Australia.
Use commas as separators in numbers in text and tables. For example:
4,000
12,257
100,000
Use symbols in tables but fully written out in text. For example:
10% = 10 percent
$2m = $2 million
  $89b = $89 billion
When two numbers are consecutive, write one as a word and one as a numeral:
There are 3 five-year projects.
Whole numbers (i.e. $600 billion) will have no decimal place, while part numbers (i.e. $2.5 billion) have 1 decimal
place.
When writing for the Annual Report, where possible, figure titles (for diagrams) should be in sentence case.
Below outlines standard number formats to be used:
Type
Style
Example
Date
Note: do not include the ‘the’ before the date and ‘st’  DD MMM YYYY
21 August 2023
or ‘th’ after the date.
Time
HH.MM (am/pm)
09.30am
Phone
+61 XXXX XXXX
+61 6279 2100
Mobile
+61 XXX XXX XXX
+61 401 456 789
Currency

$550 | $5.50 | $0.50
International currency

US$550 | NZD$550
Fraction

1 ½
Years

2022-23
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Full list of acronyms and abbreviations
Term
Definition
AASB
Australian Accounting Standards Board
AGA
Australian Government Actuary
ANAO
Australian National Audit Office
ANZIIF
Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance
APRA
Australia Prudential Regulation Authority
APSC
Australian Public Service Commission
ARPC
Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation
ATO
Australian Taxation Office
CBD
Central Business District
CEO
Chief Executive Officer
CCO
Chief Claims Officer
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
COO
Chief Operating Officer
CRGO
Chief Governance Officer
CRO
Chief Risk Officer
CUO
Chief Underwriting Officer
CY
Calendar year
DCE
Declared Cyclone Event
DTI
Declared Terrorist Incident
FOI Act
Freedom of Information Act 1982
GA
Geoscience Australia
GST
Goods and Services Tax
GWP
Gross Written Premium
IPS
Information Publication Scheme
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
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Term
Definition
Protecting Australians from Catastrophic Events (ARPC’s cyclone client information
PACE
management system)
PGPA
Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013
PID
Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
PMS
Performance Management System
RBA
Reserve Bank of Australia
RISe
Reinsurance Information System (ARPC’s terrorism client information management system)
RMS
Risk management strategy
S&P
Standard and Poor’s
SES
Senior Executive Service (our senior executive team)
TI Act
Terrorism Insurance Act 2003 (superseded by the TCI Act)
TCI Act
Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act 2003
WHS Act
Work Health and Safety Act 2011

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Appendix 2: Glossary
Term
Definition
The total of all a cedant’s property sums in a reporting zone, such as ARPC’s
Aggregate sums insured  tiers.
Calendar year
Refers to 1 January to 31 December of a particular year.
Capacity
The ability of an insurer, reinsurer, syndicate, or market, to absorb risk.
An insurance company that is wholly owned by one or more entities (parent
Captive insurer
organisations) and whose main purpose is insuring the parent company’s risks.
Formerly used term for insurer customer. The term insurer customer should be
Cedant
used in all cases, in place of cedant. See insurer customer below for definition.
The loss the reinsured assumes for its own account in non-proportional
Deductible
reinsurance.
Financial year
Refers to 1 July to 30 June of a particular year.
Insurer customer
An insurer that transfers all or part of a risk to a ceding reinsurer.
Reinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from one
Reinsurance
or other insurance companies (the reinsurer) directly or through a broker as a
means of risk management.
Retention
The amount retained by a reinsured after placing reinsurance.
Reinsurance purchased by reinsurance companies as a means of risk
Retrocession
management.
Retrocessionaire
A reinsurer that accepts retrocession business, reinsuring reinsurers.
A review which examines the need for the TCI Act to continue to operate. After
Triennial Review
2021’s review this will take place every 5 years.
An underwriting year includes all premiums for all policies commencing within
Underwriting year
the financial year.

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Appendix 3: The Writing Process
Clear communication means tailoring and structuring information for the intended audience and following the
principles of Plain English and the basic conventions of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Before you commence the
writing process, make sure to ask yourself:
•  Who are you writing for? Target Audience
•  How are you communicating with them? Channel
•  What do you want them to know/how much do they want, or need, to know? Key Messages

This will help you identify the three key elements required when writing collateral:
Audience > Channel > Key Messages.
Audience:
Your audience are the people are you writing for. If you have more than one audience, the general rule is to write for
the audience with the lowest subject knowledge.
Channel:
How are you communicating with your audience? This step is important as it will determine your writing style. Board
papers, Insurer Customer communications and web content may be written one way while event invitations will be
another.
Key Messages:
Once you have your audience and channel, consider your key messages. Key messages are the main points of
information you want your audience to hear, understand, and remember. This can be a list of key points you’d like to
get across to your audience, a call to action, or an announcement. Identifying key messages and determining how
much information your audience needs to know from the outset, will help you to keep your content on track, clear,
and concise.

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Appendix 4: Proofreading and editing
Proofreading and editing help ensure consistency, so content meets audience needs.
Any employee drafting content on behalf of ARPC will need to edit before publishing. Editing helps meet user and
business needs by ensuring content is:
•  appropriate for the audience
•  easily understood
•  free from errors, consistent and complete.
Meanwhile, proofreading is a quality-assurance process. It happens after the copyedit. It is a final check on visual and
textual elements. A proofread confirms that the content is correct, complete and meets the organisation’s
requirements to publish.
A good rule of thumb is for you to review content and ask someone else to review it too (with “fresh eyes”) before you
hit send/publish, noting to always follow the correct approvals process.

Version control, history, and approval
Date
Version
Author
Approver
Summary of Changes

Previous
1.0
Anna Fenech
Michaela
Drafted/updated in line with Treasury Style Guide
versions

Flanagan/Helen  and ARPC needs.
2017, 2019,

Williams

2021

Updated format with new ARPC acronyms

1.1
Amy McKenna
Anna Fenech
Separation of Writing Guide from Visual Style
30/05/2023
Guide for ease of access.

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