The Australian Government Information Management Office Archive

Guide to Minimum Website Standards - Introduction

April 2003 edition.  Contact details updated March 2006.

Introduction to the Guide to Minimum Website Standards

The purpose of this guide is to assist Australian Government departments and agencies implement the Government's minimum website standards. The Government agreed in April 2000 that all departments and agencies were to implement these standards by target dates, and the implementation of these standards is an essential part of the Government Online Strategy. 

Under Better Services, Better Government: The Federal Government's E-government Strategy, released in November 2002, these standards and enablers remain relevant, and AGIMO (formerly NOIE) is continuing to work with key agencies to promote good practice in implementing website standards and enablers across the Australian Public Service.

The standards relate to minimum information provision, electronic publishing, Metadata, recordkeeping and archiving, accessibility, security, privacy, and authentication. These standards have been issued by agencies with policy responsibility for each standard, which include the National Archives of Australia (NAA), the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) and the Privacy Commission. The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) is responsible for authentication and information provision issues. These agencies have each issued detailed documentation on each standard, which are available from these agencies' websites.

This document summarises the key aspects of each of the standards, and is intended to act as a "ready reference" guide to the standards. Agencies may also wish to use this document to check to see if they meet the key requirements of the standards. This document is not intended to replace the full standards documentation. Users should also consult the full standards documentation, and direct any queries on each standard to the responsible agency contact. These agencies are listed in the table below.

Feedback from agencies on the content of the document is especially welcome, and will be used to improve future versions in conjunction with agencies responsible for the standards.

Purpose of the standards

The web site standards address common policy issues and practical challenges that agencies are facing in providing services online. Some will assist agencies to overcome practical problems, while others provide guidance about the approach to adopt where no obvious choice currently exists.

The standards will help to ensure that online government services are provided to a consistently high standard. This will help to ensure user confidence in these services, and encourage further uptake of services.

Summary of Minimum Website Standards

Contents of Guide to Minimum Website Standards

• Introduction
• Information provision
• Metadata
• Electronic publishing
• Electronic Record Keeping and Archiving
• Web Content Accessibility
• Authentication
• Privacy
• Security
• References
• Further assistance
• Attachments 

Contact Us

Contact the AGIMO Service Delivery Operations Branch