Phone numbers

Phone numbers vary in length and complexity in different countries, depending on the number of area codes and sheer volume of numbers used.

Following are the best formats to use for Australian phone numbers. These break up the numbers to separate elements such as the area codes from the main number. But they also break up the main number into smaller chunks to make them easier to recite and remember.

Whether you use the full form of a number will depend on whether your readers are local, interstate or international.

Local readers

Don’t cite the area code if your readers are in the same region

9876 5432 (land line)

0404 123 456 (mobile)

Interstate readers

Add the area code, without brackets, for readers in another state

02 9876 5432 (land line)

0404 123 456 (mobile)

International readers

Use the + symbol to represent the international dial out code, then add the country code and drop the zero on the area code

+61 2 9876 5432 (land line)

+61 404 123 456 (mobile)