SMS Marketing Australia: Rules, Sender ID and Setup

SMS is the fastest way to reach an Australian customer, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Three Spam Act rules apply to commercial texts: you need consent, you must identify yourself, and you must give a working way to opt out. From 1 July 2026 there is a further step if you send under a business name: the SMS Sender ID Register. This guide explains the rules in plain terms, how to set up consent, what to send, and how to run it in GoHighLevel. It is a guide, not legal advice.

1. The three Spam Act rules

ACMA's guidance on commercial electronic messages, which include SMS, sets three requirements:

1. Consent. You need the recipient's consent before sending a commercial message, even if someone else sends it for you. Consent can be express (for example a ticked box on a form or an agreement on the phone) or inferred from an existing relationship. The burden of proving consent falls on you, and consent is not inferred just because a number or address is published.
2. Identify. The message must clearly say who sent it, with accurate contact details that stay valid for at least 30 days after sending.
3. Unsubscribe. Include an opt-out option that is free, does not require a login or extra personal information, works for at least 30 days after the message is sent, and is acted on within 5 working days.

The full detail is in the Spam Act and SMS in GoHighLevel. Check ACMA's current guidance for exact wording.

2. Commercial or service message?

A purely factual message, such as confirming a booking time, is a different kind of message from marketing. But ACMA says that if a message includes marketing content, or direct links to marketing content, it is a commercial message and must give people the option to unsubscribe. When in doubt, add the opt-out line. A message asking for a review is likely to be treated as commercial, so make sure you have consent or an existing relationship. See how to get more Google reviews in Australia.

3. The SMS Sender ID Register (from 1 July 2026)

If your texts show a brand name such as "YourBusiness" instead of a phone number, that is an alphanumeric sender ID. These notes come from telco and provider pages, not ACMA itself, so confirm the details:

• From 1 July 2026, alphanumeric sender IDs must be registered on the ACMA-run register.
• Unregistered senders appear as "Unverified", are grouped with other unverified messages and may be blocked by some telcos.
• Numeric sender IDs, meaning an ordinary mobile or virtual number, are not affected.
• Registration usually goes through your SMS provider and can take several days, so apply early.
• Sources disagree on whether you need an ABN to register; one says ACMA was still finalising guidance for businesses without one, in which case you may need to work through a local provider.
• Using another organisation's sender ID needs that organisation's confirmed consent and an approved arrangement.

Ask your SMS provider what it supports. If you use GoHighLevel, check how your Australian number or sender ID is set up, and whether your phone provider (LC Phone or Twilio) handles the registration.

4. Getting and recording consent

• Forms: a clear tick box, unticked by default, saying they agree to receive texts, with the wording and the date stored.
• Phone and in person: note it in the CRM with the date, since you may need to prove it.
• Existing customers: a relationship can support inferred consent for related messages, but keep records and stay relevant.
• Never text a purchased or scraped list.
• Keep one do-not-contact list across your tools and honour every opt-out.

5. What works by SMS

• Booking confirmations and reminders, which reduce no-shows.
• Instant replies to enquiries and missed calls.
• Quote follow-up at 2, 5 and 10 days.
• Review requests after a job.
• Reactivation and seasonal reminders to people who agreed to hear from you.

See marketing for tradies and CRM for tradies for examples.

6. Setting it up in GoHighLevel

1. Number and sender ID: get an Australian number or register your sender ID, and confirm the registration status before you send.
2. Consent field: add a field and tag for SMS consent, set from your forms, and use it as a workflow condition.
3. Templates: every marketing text names your business and includes an opt-out instruction.
4. Opt-outs: make sure replies such as STOP update the contact's do-not-disturb setting, and check other opt-out words by hand.
5. Timing: send at sensible hours for your customers, using their local time zone. The Spam Act does not set quiet hours, but a message at midnight costs goodwill.
6. Measure replies, opt-outs and bookings, and pause any message with a high opt-out rate.

The wider system is in the GoHighLevel CRM guide and AI automation agency Australia.

7. Mistakes to avoid

• Texting a list without consent.
• No business name or no opt-out in the message.
• Not acting on an opt-out within 5 working days.
• Sending under an unregistered brand sender ID after 1 July 2026.
• Treating a marketing message as a service message.
• Having no record of how and when someone agreed.

Beyond SMS: marketing automation in Australia.

Want SMS set up properly in your business?

I'm Arslan Mumtaz, a software engineer who builds GoHighLevel systems for service businesses, and I work Australian business hours. I can set up consent capture, opt-outs and the follow-up texts. Start with a $97 audit, see GoHighLevel expert for Australian businesses or pricing.

Frequently asked questions