atw: Re: Australian Standards for Letters

Here's the link between envelope address format and letters.
The link is that, in the good old days (!) the format on the envelope was, by convention, identical to the recipient's address (so called 'inside address') on the letter.
I think you'll find that what you're after is unlikely to be found in an Australian Standard, but more likely just a convention - and hence, different folks will have different views of what is current convention.
Back in the 1970s, the Administrative Management Society (mmm... have I got that name right?) promoted a so-called Simplified Letter format. I think I still have it somewhere (although, as the saying goes, because I kept it all these years, I probably ditched it in my last bout of culling).
Anyway, the AMS Simplified Letter had most of the features we commonly use today. However, as it was from the US, it probably retained full- stops (oops, I mean 'periods') after contractions (Dr. etc). 

ros
__

Ros Byrne
WORDS THAT WORK
Training & Coaching in Workplace Communication
http://www.canberra.edu.au/pmp/program/courses/words-work




On 28/10/2008, at 8:53 AM, Christine Kent wrote:
Ah Daryl, now we are getting somewhere. I seem to remember someone saying something about Australia Post having something to do with the standard - as vague as that. This one is very thorough for envelopes, so maybe they have something for letters too - although I can't see for the life of me why. 
Who are they to be setting letter writing standards, after all?

Thanks, Christine

-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Daryl Colquhoun 
Sent: Tuesday, 28 October 2008 7:23 AM
To: austechwriter list
Subject: atw: Re: Australian Standards for Letters
Question 1 - Does anyone know where I can find Australian Standards for the 


layout and presentation of letters (correspondence).
Interestingly enough, the German standard relating to this very thing was 
for several decades DIN's (German Institute for Standardization)
best-seller. (I learned this by looking at the display at the DIN's
headquarters; I can't find a web reference.) So naturally I thought
Australia would have one. However, enquiries of SAI Global, including a phone call, suggest that there is no such standard. I suggest that you trawl 

their website yourself and ring them, to double-check.
I note Brian's sad comments (quaintly phrased in terms of an obsolete unit 
of measure). Still, if want to have a go as browbeating fossilesque
colleagues, you could refer to Australia Post. They don't make standards but 

they are explicit on at least how to set out the address; see
http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1467,CH2092~MO19,00.html.



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