Australia has more active mobile connections than people: 34.1 million at the end of 2025, equal to 126 percent of the population (DataReportal, 2026). For appointment reminders, flash sales, delivery updates and event alerts, a text message still gets read when an email might wait until the evening. Mailpro lets you send those messages to Australian mobiles from the same account you use for email, and keeps the opt-outs from both channels in one place.
Sending to Australian numbers
Australian mobile numbers start with 04 domestically. In international format you drop the leading zero and add the country code, so 0412 345 678 becomes +61 412 345 678. Storing numbers consistently in this format before you import them avoids failed sends from lists that mix both styles. Our phone country code list is useful if your list also includes New Zealand (+64) or other markets.
The rules for commercial SMS in Australia
The Spam Act applies to texts too
The Spam Act 2003 treats commercial SMS the same way as commercial email. You need consent, the message must identify the business that sent it, and it must include a way to opt out, such as “Reply STOP to opt out”. Opt-outs must be actioned within five working days. The ACMA regularly penalises SMS breaches: Pizza Hut Australia’s $2.5 million penalty in 2024 covered texts as well as emails sent without consent.
The SMS Sender ID Register
Australia has introduced an SMS Sender ID Register, run by the ACMA, to make it harder for scammers to impersonate trusted brands. From 1 July 2026, text messages that use an alphanumeric sender name (such as “MyShop” instead of a phone number) that is not registered are overwritten with “Unverified” before they reach the customer. If you want your brand name to appear as the sender, it needs to be registered. See our FAQ on SMS regulations in Australia and how to configure an SMS sender name.
Privacy Act obligations
Mobile numbers are personal information. If the Privacy Act 1988 applies to your business, tell customers why you collect their number and keep it secure. Mailpro stores contact data in Switzerland on its own private infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction, and never sells or rents it.
What you can send with Mailpro
- Bulk campaigns to a whole list or a segment, for example customers in Queensland only.
- Personalised texts that include a first name, a booking time or a store location.
- Scheduled sends so a promotion reaches Perth at 10am AWST rather than 7am. Use SMS scheduling with a separate send per time zone.
- Automated SMS for birthdays, appointment reminders and follow-ups, triggered by a date or an action.
- An SMS API so your booking system or online store can send confirmations directly.
- Delivery reports showing which messages were delivered and which numbers failed.
Where SMS works well in Australia
Trades and home services use SMS to confirm a technician’s arrival window. Clinics and physios send appointment reminders to cut no-shows. Real estate agents alert buyers to Saturday auctions and open inspections. Retailers use short, urgent texts during EOFY sales in June and on Boxing Day. Tourism operators in Far North Queensland and the Red Centre send weather and pick-up updates on the day. In each case the message is short, timely and expected.
Combine SMS with email
SMS works best as a partner to email, not a replacement. Send the detailed offer by email, then a one-line SMS reminder to people who have not opened it. Our article on SMS and email campaigns together shows how to sequence them, and our page on whether SMS campaigns are effective in Australia looks at where the channel earns its cost.
Reliable delivery
In Mailpro’s own customer survey, users rated SMS deliverability 9.8/10. You pay per message sent, with no charge for storing contacts, and you can start with 500 free credits. Rates for each destination are on our SMS pricing page.