From July 1, 2026, new legislation means all practices sending branded text messages must register their Sender IDs with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) or risk patient messages being labelled as unverified.
It's the name that appears at the top of a text message instead of a phone number. For example, AusPost or City Medical.
For BetterConsult, a Sender ID is used when sending a message to patients to complete their pre-consultation questionnaire.
to text message scams in the first 9 months of 2025
The SMS Sender ID Register ensures that all Sender IDs are verified to combat the rise of scam messages. All businesses must now register their Sender ID or their messages will be marked as unverified.
For practices sending BetterConsult text messages, unverified messages risk being ignored or deleted. That means incomplete questionnaires, more no-shows, and a poorer patient experience.
Registering your Sender IDs means your patients can trust that messages from your practice are genuine.
Set up myID
Log into myID and make sure it is set to Standard strength (You'll need two identity documents). Check your contact details including name, email and phone number are up to date — ACMA will contact you at this email address.
Confirm your myID email is on the ABR
Make sure your Australian Business Register (ABR) information is up to date at abr.gov.au. Confirm your email is listed as an authorised contact on the ABR - this must match your myID email.
Log in to ACMA Assist with myID
Log into the ACMA Assist portal using your myID and follow the prompts to confirm your ABN and business details. Also start to decide on a Sender ID for your practice.
Add your practice manager as a delegate Optional
In ACMA Assist, you can add your practice manager as an "Authorised User" or "Business Administrator" so they can manage the application process on your behalf. Your practice manager will need to use their own myID to access ACMA Assist.
Collate information for ACMA submission
Gather the information required for your ACMA submission, including legal entity name, ABN, practice website or social media URL, and more.
Submit information to HealthShare
Submit your information to BetterConsult (HealthShare) via our form. We will submit the information to ACMA on your behalf.
Approve request in ACMA Assist
You will receive an email from ACMA asking you to confirm the application with HealthShare. Open the email, log in to ACMA Assist, and approve HealthShare's request to send under your Sender ID.
ACMA's Sender ID rules protect Australians — including your patients — from SMS scams. Scammers commonly spoof business names to trick people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal details. Registering each Sender ID to a verified business makes that much harder, so patients can trust that an SMS from your Sender ID really is from your practice.
After 1st July, unregistered Sender IDs are blocked or relabelled "Unverified" by Australian carriers — meaning patients won't recognise your SMS and may not open them. As a backup, BetterConsult will default your SMS to send from our own registered Sender ID, "PreConsult", to prevent your messages going into the "Unverified" bucket. We strongly recommend registering your own Sender ID so patients recognise SMS as coming from your practice.
Someone with full authority to act for the business — typically a sole trader, company director, or partner. Check who's listed for your ABN in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM).
It's the portal where ACMA finalises your registration. Your Principal Authority will get an email from ACMA asking them to approve the request there, so they'll need a myID and access to ACMA Assist set up first. A delegate they've nominated through ACMA Assist can approve in their place.
You can contact the ACMA on 1300 850 115 or via email info@acma.gov.au.
myID (formerly myGovID) is the government's digital identity service — required to log in to ACMA Assist and approve your registration. Set one up at myid.gov.au before you submit, so there's no delay.
Your Principal Authority logs in to ACMA Assist with their myID and nominates the other person as an Authorised Business Administrator. Then answer Yes to the delegate question in this form and enter their details.
Yes. If you also use BP Comms or any other SMS provider, register separately with each — BetterConsult's submission only covers SMS sent through us. We recommend you maintain the same Sender ID exactly with each of your providers, so your patients receive a single message thread from your practice.
Yes. BetterConsult sends SMS messages using a Sender ID on behalf of your practice that requires registration with ACMA.
No, registering your Sender ID is done at the practice level. GPs do not need to register individually.