General Notes:
Cite government documents or reports under the departments, units or agencies (i.e. 'corporate authors'), followed by the title of the document/report.
If there are personal contributors, e.g. prepared by John Smith, list them after the title, followed by the document/report number.
The publisher and author should be recorded as they appeared when the document was originally published, do not amend the name to their current title if the names have changed.
Government document titles appear in italics.
Include report or paper numbers (if available).
Include the publisher if it is different from the author.
Include only the first place of publication if more than one is listed.
Some government documents may be assigned a DOI or "digital object identifier". If this is the case the DOI must be added to the reference. If no DOI is found, then the URL of the online publication site is included. Check the What are DOIs? page for more information.
The following is the general format of a reference to a government document or reports.
Add DOI or URL to the end of citation for documents located online.
See the general rules for government documents for more details.
Note Number. Name of Government Agency, Document Title: Subtitle, Author's First name Last name, Report number, (Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication), page(s) cited, DOI or URL.
1. Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Mothers and Babies Report 2016 (Sydney: NSW Health, 2017), 8, http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/hsnsw/Publications/mothers-and-babies-2016.pdf.
2. U.S. Government Accountability Office, Air Force Readiness: Actions Needed to Rebuild Readiness and Prepare for the Future, GAO-19-120T (Washington, DC: GAO, 2018), https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-120T.
Note Number. Name of Government Agency, Shortened Document Title, page(s) cited.
3. Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Mothers and Babies, 12.
4. U.S. Government Accountability Office, Air Force Readiness, 3.
Name of Government Agency. Document Title: Subtitle. Personal contributor's First name Last name. Document No. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. DOI or URL.
Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence. NSW Mothers and Babies Report 2016. Sydney: NSW Health, 2017. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/hsnsw/Publications/mothers-and-babies-2016.pdf.
U.S. Government Accountability Office. Air Force Readiness: Actions Needed to Rebuild Readiness and Prepare for the Future. GAO-19-120T. Washington, DC: GAO, 2018. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-120T.
The Chicago style recommends using The Bluebook or the ALWD guide to legal citation for citing legal materials. For citing the Australian cases, legislation and other legal materials, students may follow the Australian guide to legal citation (AGLC).
The following citation formats and examples for Legislation, Cases, and Parliamentary Debates, are mainly based on the AGLC 4th ed.
Note Number. Short Title of Act Year of Act (Jurisdiction) pinpoint.
1. Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) ss 5-6.
2. Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ss 47, https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1995/25/chap2/part2.2/sec47.
3. Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth), cl 83.
4. Habeas Corpus Act 2001 (NZ) s 3.
Note Number. Short Title of Act pinpoint.
5. Evidence Act s 3.
Legal publications use notes for documentation and rarely include bibliographies. If a bibliography entry is needed cite the act/bill with or without the sections as needed.
Short Title of Act Year of Act (Jurisdiction).
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth).
Evidence Act 1995 (NSW). https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1995/25/.
Family Law Act 1975 (Cth).
Habeas Corpus Act 2001 (NZ).
A citation of an Australian case should include the parties' names in italics, followed by the year of the report, volume number of the law report series, the abbreviation of the law report series, the starting page of the case, and the pinpoint page number/s if needed.
Rowe v McCartney [1976] 2 NSWLR 72
Alati v Kruger (1955) 94 CLR 216
Note Number. Case Name (Year) Volume No Law Report Series Starting page, pinpoint page.
Or if the law report series are organised by year
Note Number. Case Name [Year] Volume No Law Report Series Starting page, pinpoint page.
1. Alati v Kruger (1955) 94 CLR 216, 218.
2. Kemp v The King (1951) 83 CLR 341, 342.
3. Wentworth v Rogers [No 5] (1986) 6 NSWLR 534.
4. Rowe v McCartney [1976] 2 NSWLR 72.
Legal references are usually cited in the text or in footnotes, not in the bibliography. If bibliography entry is needed, cite the case with or without the pinpoint pages as needed.
Case Name (Year) Volume No Law Report Series Starting page
Or if the law report series are organised by year
Case Name [Year] Volume No Law Report Series Starting page
Alati v Kruger (1955) 94 CLR 216.
Kemp v The King (1951) 83 CLR 341.
Wentworth v Rogers [No 5] (1986) 6 NSWLR 534.
Rowe v McCartney [1976] 2 NSWLR 72.
A citation of Parliamentary debates (or Hansard) should include the Jurisdiction, followed by Parliamentary Debates, then Chamber, Full Date of Debate, Pinpoint, and Name of Speaker.
Note Number. Jurisdiction, Parliamentary Debates, Chamber, Full Date of Debate, Pinpoint (Name of Speaker).
1. Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, Senate, 18 June 2008, 2642-4 (Bob Brown).
2. New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 8 August 2018, 18 (Melinda Pavey, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight).
Legal references are usually cited in the text or in footnotes, not in the bibliography. If a bibliography entry is needed, cite the Hansard with or without the pinpoint pages as needed.
Jurisdiction, Parliamentary Debates, Chamber, Full Date of Debate, Pinpoint (Name of Speaker)
Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, Senate, 18 June 2008, 2642-4 (Bob Brown)
New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 8 August 2018, 18 (Melinda Pavey, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight)