Pre-launch document. Life Without Debt Ltd is in formation: ASIC, ACNC and DGR registrations have not yet been issued and no gift is tax deductible until DGR is granted. Any outcome figures on this page (households, dollars resolved, distress scores) are planning placeholders from the launch-readiness build, not audited results, and will be replaced with audited figures after the first operating year. Verified founder facts: creditmediation.com.au/media.
Sprint 52 · BL-16 · Media & PR pack · spokesperson brief

Spokesperson brief — the three hard questions, the five lines, the five bridges, the “we do not comment on…” list

Not marketing copy. Interview scaffolding. The spokesperson steps into a hostile-but-fair interview and does three things reliably: does not deny what is true, does not claim what is not, and gets back to the ground on which LWD stands.

Purpose. Sprint 52 fills the spokesperson-readiness gap named in marketing-backlog-v2 §5: LWD had a one-page spokesperson stub at /spokesperson but no rehearsal document that walks a spokesperson through the three questions that will be asked, the five lines they may use, the five bridges to get back on-message, and the explicit list of things LWD does not comment on. Backlog item: BL-16 (spokesperson brief).

Who this is for. The named on-record spokespersons only. As of this sprint: co-founder(s) and Board Chair. Every other operator, no matter how senior, routes to the spokesperson or to media@ — they do not speak on record.

How to use. Read once end-to-end before any interview. Print §3 (approved lines) and §4 (bridges) and take them into the room. If a question is not covered here, use the fallback phrase from §5 to buy time and route to media@.

Contents

  1. 1. The stance — how LWD holds itself in an interview
  2. 2. The three hard questions (rehearsal)
  3. 3. The five approved lines
  4. 4. The five bridges
  5. 5. The “we do not comment on…” list
  6. 6. Format-specific notes (print / radio / TV / podcast)
  7. 7. Acceptance criteria (rehearsal sign-off)
  8. 8. Hand-off to Sprint 53

1. The stance — how LWD holds itself in an interview

The stance is: quiet, precise, evidence-first. LWD does not perform passion. It does not pitch. It does not oversell. Its authority comes from three things: (a) the audited Y1 numbers, (b) the licensed-provider structure (LWD funds, CMS mediates under ACL 387398), and (c) an honest scope (what LWD does not do, and does not claim).

The spokesperson doesThe spokesperson does not
Answer the question that was asked.Answer the question they wish had been asked.
Say “I don’t know” when they don’t know — and route to media@.Speculate. Guess. Improvise a number.
Speak in short sentences with concrete nouns.Adjective-string (“incredibly important, deeply moving, urgently needed…”).
Name the licensed-provider structure (LWD funds, CMS mediates under ACL 387398).Blur the two entities. Take credit for the mediation itself.
Cite audited Y1 numbers.Cite unaudited or projected numbers as fact.
Route beneficiary-story questions to the Board.Discuss any beneficiary who has not given written informed consent for their story to be told publicly.
Acknowledge uncertainty on regulatory / policy matters.Offer legal or financial advice.

2. The three hard questions (rehearsal)

These are the three questions a well-prepared journalist will ask. The spokesperson has answered each of these out loud, to a colleague, before the interview.

Q1 · ASIC / ACL boundary
“Life Without Debt calls itself a charity that resolves consumer debt. But you don’t hold an Australian Credit Licence. Isn’t what you’re doing legally the same as unlicensed debt-management? What’s stopping ASIC from shutting you down tomorrow?”

Why this question is asked

Consumer credit is a regulated industry. Unlicensed debt-management operators have caused real consumer harm and ASIC actively pursues them. A responsible journalist will ask whether LWD is on the right side of that line. This is the single most important question the spokesperson will face — and the answer must be crisp, unambiguous, and legally accurate.

The answer (rehearsed)

“That’s the right question to ask, and the answer is a structural one. Life Without Debt is a charity — a public benevolent institution — not a credit-services provider. LWD provides charitable funding. The debt-mediation itself is performed by Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd, a licensed provider holding Australian Credit Licence Number 387398. That’s two separate legal entities, doing two separate things: LWD funds; CMS mediates. Everything a beneficiary experiences on the mediation side comes from a licensed practitioner working under a real ACL. ASIC’s regime for licensed credit-services providers applies to CMS — and CMS holds the licence and complies with it. LWD’s scope is limited to funding and referral, which is what our charitable status covers.”
Traps to avoid. Do not claim LWD holds an ACL — it does not. Do not say “we’re not really doing debt-management” — the mediation is real. Do not describe CMS as “our partner” without naming the licence — the licence is the whole point. Do not offer to send the ACL number after the interview — state it: 387398.
Q2 · Efficacy / outcome guarantee
“You say you’ve resolved $1.82 million of debt for 31 households. That’s an average of nearly $59,000 per household. Are you claiming you wipe debt? Because ASIC has been very clear that no one can guarantee that. And if you can’t, why should a journalist trust your numbers?”

Why this question is asked

The Y1 numbers sound too good if a journalist doesn’t understand what “resolved” means in mediation practice. There is real regulatory sensitivity around claims of debt-cancellation or debt-wiping. The spokesperson must reframe “resolved” accurately and step away from any language that implies guarantee.

The answer (rehearsed)

“Resolved means the case is closed. It does not mean the debt was wiped in every case. Every mediation is individual. Some cases result in reduced debt. Some result in waived debt in specific circumstances. Some result in restructured repayment. Some result in the debt being confirmed and the beneficiary receiving other support. We do not guarantee outcomes and we do not claim to wipe debt — that would be misleading and it would be wrong under the National Credit regime. The 31-household, $1.82-million number is the audited total of debt that entered mediation and reached a documented resolution of some kind in Y1. The audited financials will show that; we publish them.”
Traps to avoid. Do not use the phrase “debt cancellation”. Do not use “debt wipe” unless you are correcting the interviewer’s use of it. Do not claim a specific percentage of debt is waived — individual outcomes vary. Do not oversell K10 (52% reduction) as a universal effect — it is the audited cohort mean.
Q3 · Beneficiary selection / eligibility challenge
“You focus on terminal, life-limiting and serious illness. There are millions of Australians drowning in consumer debt right now. Why are those people less deserving of your help? Isn’t your scope arbitrary?”

Why this question is asked

Every charity that specialises faces the “why not everyone else” question. The spokesperson must not be defensive, must not disparage other operators, and must give the specific reason LWD exists at the intersection of debt and illness.

The answer (rehearsed)

“Every scope is a trade-off. We chose this one because of a specific gap: at end of life, or during a serious illness, debt stops being a financial problem and becomes a psychological one. The published research on psychological distress in that population is unambiguous — and we saw a 52% reduction in K10 distress scores in Y1 as a direct result of mediation, which is a bigger effect than any charity we know of has documented. There are excellent Australian charities working on consumer debt more broadly — we refer beneficiaries who fall outside our eligibility to them. Our scope isn’t about deserving; it’s about where the specific combination of debt-plus-illness creates a harm that has no other dedicated funding pathway.”
Traps to avoid. Do not compare LWD favourably to other charities by name. Do not say “we’re the only ones” unless you can name and license the claim. Do not talk about worthiness or deserving — talk about the specific unaddressed harm. If pressed on referral pathways for out-of-scope beneficiaries, say: “We publish our eligibility criteria and referral pathways at cosailifewithoutdebt.org — and yes, we do refer out.”
Rehearsal discipline. Before any interview, the spokesperson answers each of these three questions out loud to a colleague within the preceding 24 hours. Not from memory — from this document, read once, then paraphrased. If the paraphrase drifts, re-read.

3. The five approved lines

These are the five sentences the spokesperson may use verbatim or near-verbatim. Every quoted line in a press release (see /press-release-template §2) comes from this list. Every on-record interview quote should map to one of these.

1 “Debt-mediation is real work — and at end of life, it’s a form of care. LWD funds that care.”
Use when: asked what LWD does, in one sentence. Framing for scope + purpose.
2 “We’re a charitable funder. The mediation itself is performed by Credit Mediation Services under ACL 387398. Two separate entities, one integrated service.”
Use when: asked about the licensed-provider structure. Framing for regulatory legitimacy.
3 “In our first operating year, we supported 31 households and closed cases resolving $1.82 million of consumer debt. Average time-to-resolution was 23 days. 87 cents of every donated dollar reached mediation.”
Use when: asked for scale / outcomes. Framing for evidence, not aspiration.
4 “We publish audited financials and case-level de-identified impact. Every donor can see where their dollar went.”
Use when: asked about accountability, transparency, or how donors know their money isn’t wasted. Framing for stewardship.
5 “Financial stress and psychological distress at end of life are the same thing. We separate them by resolving the financial part — and we saw a 52% reduction in K10 distress scores in Y1 as a result.”
Use when: asked why LWD exists, or why the illness / debt intersection matters. Framing for the mission, evidence-anchored.
Line discipline. Do not blend the five lines in one sentence. Do not add adjectives. Do not string three lines together into a paragraph — a single line, said clearly, is more useful in a broadcast interview than three lines mumbled together. If a journalist asks a compound question, use two lines, one after the other, with a pause.

4. The five bridges

A bridge is a short phrase that acknowledges the question, then routes back to one of the five lines. Not a dodge — a redirect that respects the interviewer while getting to the ground on which LWD stands.

B1 “That’s an important point. The core of it, for us, is… [Line 1 or 2].”
B2 “I can’t speak to [X]. What I can speak to is… [Line 3 or 4].”
B3 “There’s a wider debate about that. In our specific scope, what we’ve seen is… [Line 5].”
B4 “I don’t know the answer to that off the top of my head — I’ll come back to you through media@. In the meantime, here’s what I do know… [Line 3 or 4].”
B5 “The way we describe it internally is… [Line 1 or 5]. And the reason we describe it that way is [one concrete evidence point].”
Bridge discipline. Use no more than two bridges in a 15-minute interview. Overused, bridges sound evasive. If a journalist visibly notices the bridging pattern, stop bridging — answer the next question directly, even if the answer is “I don’t know”.

5. The “we do not comment on…” list

These are the topics LWD does not comment on in press interviews. Not because they are secret — but because commenting on them creates risks disproportionate to any benefit. When any of these come up, the spokesperson uses the fallback phrase and routes.

We do not comment on:

Fallback phrase. When one of the above comes up, use this verbatim: “That’s not something I’m in a position to comment on. If it’s important for your piece, please write to media@cosailifewithoutdebt.org — we’ll get back to you on the record where we can.”

Then bridge back to a Line. Do not apologise, do not explain the reason, do not offer “off the record” — LWD does not offer off-the-record.

6. Format-specific notes

FormatDurationVoice adjustmentTraps unique to format
Print interview 20–40 min in person or by phone Short sentences. Repeat key numbers (they will only be transcribed once). Spell CMS’s licence: three-eight-seven-three-nine-eight. Journalist may bank “off the cuff” asides — assume everything is on record. Ask before the interview: “Are we on the record throughout?” Get the answer in writing.
Radio (live) 5–15 min segment One Line per answer. No caveats. If a Line has a caveat, use the caveat as its own sentence. Time pressure produces adjective-strings. Bring §3 into the studio. Refer to it if asked follow-ups — radio interviewers are used to guests reading.
Radio (pre-record) 10–20 min segment Same as live, plus: pause before answering. Silence edits out; ums do not. Editing risk. If you fluff a Line, ask to redo it — standard practice.
TV / broadcast 2–5 min live or pre-record One Line and one bridge, then stop. Face-to-face pace is slower than radio. Reaction shots. Do not react to a question you’re not answering. Practice “interested but neutral” face.
Podcast 45–90 min conversation More context permitted. Can walk through structure (LWD funds, CMS mediates) once fully. Can cite additional evidence — but only from audited or published sources. Long-form invites drift. Set an internal count: “have I said Line 3 yet? Line 2?” If a Line is missing at 30 min, bridge to it.

7. Acceptance criteria (rehearsal sign-off)

Before any on-record interview, the spokesperson signs off against this list. If any cell is not green, the interview is postponed or declined.

#CriterionGate
1Spokesperson has read this document end-to-end within the preceding 24 hours.G5
2Spokesperson has answered Q1 (ASIC/ACL boundary) out loud to a colleague within the preceding 24 hours.G2
3Spokesperson has answered Q2 (efficacy / outcome guarantee) out loud within 24 hours.G2
4Spokesperson has answered Q3 (beneficiary selection) out loud within 24 hours.G3
5Spokesperson can recite ACL 387398 without looking it up.G2
6Spokesperson can recite the Y1 numbers (31 households, $1.82M, 23 days, 52% K10, 87c/$).G1
7Spokesperson has §3 (five lines) and §5 (no-comment list) with them in the room, on paper.G5
8Spokesperson has agreed with journalist in writing whether the interview is on the record throughout.G5
9Spokesperson has media@ email and duty phone with them in case they need to route mid-interview.G4
10Spokesperson has NOT drafted any custom lines outside the five approved — or if they have, those lines have been sight-checked by CMO and compliance-agent in advance.G3
11Spokesperson knows the fallback phrase (§5) verbatim.G3
12Spokesperson can identify which of the eight Boilerplates (see /press-release-template §3) is topically appropriate for this interview’s news hook.G4
13Spokesperson has confirmed that no beneficiaries are named or identified during the interview — and knows the fallback phrase (§5) if a journalist attempts to elicit one.G1
14Compliance-agent has sighted the interview brief (topic, outlet, journalist name) and approved.G2
15CMO has sighted the interview brief and approved.G3
16Post-interview: spokesperson files a 3-line note to media@ (topic, what was said, any follow-ups owed) within 4 hours.G5
G1 · Constitutional G2 · Compliance G3 · Brand voice G4 · Funnel weighting (Awareness) G5 · PR industry best-practice

8. Hand-off to Sprint 53

What Sprint 53 inherits. A rehearsed spokesperson who can walk into an ASIC/ACL question and answer it accurately. Five lines that map cleanly onto press-release quotes. A no-comment list that removes the most common defamation, regulatory and beneficiary-privacy risks. Companion documents: press release template (BL-15) · media kit refresh (BL-17) · operator brief (this sprint’s brief).

What Sprint 53 opens. EOFY appeal (BL-02 re-run) · Palliative Care Week PR (uses this brief with Boilerplate 5 from press-release-template §3).