Healthcare providers and organisations across the region are being urged to prepare for new national rules that will change how SMS messages are delivered to patients.
From 1 July 2026, if your business or organisation sends branded text messages to clients or patients, you will need to register your ‘sender ID’ through the new SMS Sender ID Register. This may include appointment reminders, recalls, health alerts or other patient communications sent via SMS platforms.
If a sender ID is not registered, messages will be labelled as ‘Unverified’ as a warning to people that it could be a scam.
The new measure has been introduced by the Australian Government to reduce SMS scams, which often impersonate trusted organisations such as healthcare providers, banks or government agencies.
By requiring sender IDs to be registered and verified, the system aims to help patients feel confident that messages they receive are genuinely from their healthcare provider.
From 1 July 2026:
- Registered sender IDs will display the sender’s name as usual, helping confirm who the message is from
- Unregistered sender IDs will show as ‘Unverified’ and may be treated as potential scams
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has more information on how to register.
More information on the register is available here.
