Writing Style
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
CEFC
Writing style
1
Brand guidelines
The CEFC is here to get things done.
Drivers of innovation. Educators and
influencers. Collaborators across
sectors, businesses and projects.
Catalysts for change.
If we are to be the game changers
that we need to be — showing the
world that clean energy investment
works — the way we talk about our
work matters as much as the type
of investments we make. The words
we choose and stories we tell wil
determine the impact we have, the
trust we instill in others and whether or
not we inspire them to join our mission.
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
CEFC
Writing style
2
Brand guidelines
How we talk about the CEFC
Our personality
Who we are
How we communicate
We have a unique role as a catalyst for change:
we invest to lead the market, putting our
capital to work in new areas, building investor
best in class
We are dealmakers investing with impact…
− Use active voice and simple, direct language
confidence and accelerating solutions to
showing the market, investors and stakeholders
− Use objective and factual information and data
difficult problems. These are the touchstones
optimistic
that clean energy investment works
− Use common industry terms, acronyms and
for how we talk about the CEFC.
terminologies
progressive
− Keep information short and direct
energetic
− Focus on investment returns.
trusted
We are caretakers investing on behalf…
− Use plain English and avoid long, complex sentences
of the Australian community and accelerating
− Use direct language and clear explanations
rigorous
our transition to a low emissions economy
− Spell out acronyms, avoid unnecessary jargon and
explain uncommon terms
− Use cultural y appropriate inclusive language that is
gender neutral and respectful of diversity
− Clearly connect projects with CEFC goals and values
− Focus on emissions benefits.
We are trailblazers investing on the edge of
− Share excitement, use energetic adjectives
what’s possible…
− Describe the look, feel and impacts of investments and
connecting investors, developers, entrepreneurs,
technologies
innovators and market operators
− Take the audience on a journey of exploration
− Focus on why this is valuable, the difference it will make
− Focus on innovation, impact and outcomes.
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
CEFC
Writing style
3
Brand guidelines
Writing style tips
The CEFC
Ranges and
− Use an en dash with no spaces for number ranges,
negative numbers
not a hyphen, e.g. ‘5–10’
Which case
− Lower case ‘cefc’ is only ever used in the logo
− Use a minus sign for negative numbers if possible,
− In text: in the first instance use: ‘Clean Energy
not an en dash or hyphen
Finance Corporation (CEFC)’
− Use ‘CEFC’ thereafter
Large numbers
− Almost always say ‘the CEFC’ rather than ‘CEFC’
Hundreds of
− ‘$484,000’ in text, not ‘$0.484m’ or ‘$0.484 mil ion’
− Avoid “the CEFC’s” where possible (i.e. try not to
thousands
− ‘$484k’ in tables, with: lower case ‘k’ and no space
change our name)
Thousands
− ‘$45,000’ in text, not ‘$45k’
Numbers
− ‘$45k’ in tables, with: lower case ‘k’ and no space
Megawatts
− Use digits for the number, not words, with a
Mil ions and
− ‘$1.25b’ in tables, not ‘$1,250m’ and not ‘$1.250b’
non-breaking space in between the digit and the
billions in tables
unit of measurement
− ‘5 MW’, not ‘5MW’ and not ‘five mega watts’
Mil ions and
− ‘$5 mil ion’ in text, ‘$5m’ in tables or charts
billions in text
− ‘5 MWh’, not ‘5MWH’ and not ‘5MWh’
− Only use ‘Five mil ion dol ars’ if it is the start of
a sentence
Numbers in
− Always write as digits
tables, charts and
Large millions
− Some charts may need to show large mil ions
fact boxes
in charts
for granularity: e.g. ‘$1,206m’
Numbers in text
− Spell out zero to nine; digits for 10 and above
Tonnes in text
− In text: ‘25 mil ion tonnes’, not ‘25m tonnes’ and not
‘twenty five million tonnes’
− Spell out ordinal numbers up to 10; use digits for 11
and above, e.g. ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘ninth’, ‘tenth’, ‘11th’
− In headings and fact blocks: ‘25m tonnes’
− When there is a decimal point, use digits, e.g. ‘1.5’
Other conventions
and not ‘one point five’
− In text, spell out if the number starts the sentence,
Bullet point lists
− Only use a list if there is more than one item
or reorder the sentence so it no longer starts with
− Use a capital letter at the start of each list item
a number
− At the end of each bul et there is no need for ‘or’,
− Write numbers as digits in units of measurement,
‘and’, a semicolon (‘;’) or a comma (‘,’)
dates and times, comparisons, ratios, decimal
− Full point only at the end of the final bul et
numbers and mathematical equations
− Use commas to separate digits into groups of three,
Bullet point
− Maintain sentence case throughout
e.g. ‘1,000’
sentences
− Use a capital letter at the start of each list item and
a full point at the end of each sentence
Page numbers
− Always write as digits
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
CEFC
Writing style
4
Brand guidelines
Writing style tips
Date range
− Use ‘to’ and ‘from’ where possible for year ranges
Apostrophes
− Apostrophes indicate possession; they should not be
continued
and write the years in ful , e.g. ‘from 2015 to 2019’
used in plurals
− Use an en dash with no space for number ranges,
− Possessive apostrophe: ‘the Government’s roadmap’
not a hyphen, e.g. ‘10–20’
− Plural, no apostrophe: ‘liaising with State and
− Use an en dash with no space when referring to
Territory Governments’
financial years, but also abbreviate the end year, e.g.
− Avoid apostrophes in plural acronyms and years:
‘the 2018–19 financial year’
‘1900s’ not ‘1900’s’; ‘ACCUs’ not ‘ACCU’s’
− ‘2018–19’, not ‘2018/19’ and not ‘FY19’
Carbon dioxide
− ‘CO -e’, not ‘CO2’ and not ‘CO2-e’ (keep the ‘e’ and
2
Currency
− Use digits for monetary amounts, e.g. ‘50c’ or ‘$1’
equivalent
make sure the ‘ ’ is
)
2
subscript
− In text, words can be used for approximations, e.g.
Dates
− ‘17 February 2019’ with no commas
‘thousands of dollars’
− Not ‘17th February 2019’ and not ‘February 17 2019’
− Where content is clearly referencing Australian
dol ars, use ‘$’, e.g. ‘$19.49’
− If including day name, write it at the front before the
date, e.g. ‘Friday 30 July 2021’
− Specify the currency when it might not be clear, e.g.
‘US$19.49’ or ‘USD19.49’
e.g. and i.e.
− Use lower case ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’, not ‘E.g’ or ‘I.e’
− In tables: general y ‘AUD’ rather than ‘A$’
− Full points for both letters: ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’ but not ‘e.g’
− In text: general y ‘A$’ not ‘Australia $’ and not ‘$A’
and not ‘i.e’
− When used to start a list, ‘e.g.:’ not ‘e.g:’
Titles in tables
− Sentence case with minimal punctuation,
and charts
not Title Case
− No comma after ‘e.g.’ or ‘i.e.’
− e.g. ‘The CEFC organisational structure’
− Use the English words instead of ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’ where
Not ‘The CEFC Organisational Structure’
possible, e.g. ‘for example’ and ‘that is’
Headings
− Write headings that are clear and short
Government
− ‘Australian Government’
− No full stop to end headings
− Not ‘federal government’ and not ‘Federal
Government’
− Sentence case with minimal punctuation, not Title
Case and not ALL CAPS
− Use lower case for ‘government’ when referring
general y to national/federal, state and/or local
− e.g. ‘Analysis of performance criteria.’
government
Not ‘Analysis Of Performance Criteria.’
− Title Case for proper names e.g. the ‘Victorian
− Can be either
bold, itals or underlined but never all three
Government’
And or & in text
− Always use ‘and’ in text
Hyphens
− Use hyphens to clarify meaning or distinguish
− Only use ‘&’ in text when it is the name of an external
words that would otherwise look the same, e.g.
brand
‘re-cover‘ (cover again), compared to ‘recover‘
And or & in tables
− Avoid ‘&’ wherever possible
(retrieve or regain)
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
CEFC
Writing style
5
Brand guidelines
Writing style tips
Dashes
− Use en dashes to join or compare nouns that
Acts of Parliament
retain their original meaning,
continued
e.g. ‘the Murray–Darling basin’
How to reference − First instance: Full name, italics, abbreviation:
− Use en dashes to separate a clarification or
−
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) Act
interruption in a sentence, e.g. ‘Three rivers –
−
Public Governance, Performance and Accountability
the Murray, Darling and Murrumbidgee – were
(PGPA) Act
discussed’
− Thereafter: normal text, no brackets:
− Use en dashes for spans or ranges,
− CEFC Act
e.g. ‘There were 25–30 members’ or ‘during the
− PGPA Act
2003–2006 reporting period’
− Where there is no sensible abbreviation:
Compound words
− Use a hyphen when more than one word is linked
− First instance:
Modern Slavery Act
together as an adjective, e.g. ‘long-term plan’ or
− Thereafter: The Act, or the
Modern Slavery Act
‘smal -scale renewable energy’
− NB: There is no need to include the year an Act was
− Hyphens should not be used when phrases do not
passed.
appear before a noun, as these are not compound
words, e.g. ‘in the long term.’ or ‘on a small scale.’
Per cent
− Two words: ‘per cent’ not ‘Per Cent’ and not ‘percent’
− In text: ‘five per cent’ or ‘25 per cent’; not ‘five
percent’ and not ‘25%’
− In tables and fact boxes: ‘5%’ or ‘25%’
− At the beginning of a sentence: ‘Five per cent’ or
‘Twenty-five per cent’
− Use digits and decimal places for percentages, not
fractions, e.g. ‘0.25%’ or ‘1.5 per cent’, not ‘1/4%’ and
not ‘one point five per cent’
States and
− Spell out states and territories in the first instance in
Territories
running text (‘Tasmania’, ‘Australian Capital Territory’,
‘New South Wales’ etc.) and then contract (‘NSW’,
‘Vic’, ‘Qld’, ‘WA’, ‘SA’, ‘Tas’, ‘ACT’, ‘NT’)
− Abbreviate in tables and charts
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
