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Harvard

Havard citing and referencing style is an author-date style based on the Australian Government's Style Guide.

Legal sources

General notes

  • The in-text citation and reference list entry for legal sources are the same.
  • Legal sources are included separately from other sources in the reference list.

 

Bills

In-text citation and reference list

Format

(Title of bill Year).

Example

(Refugee Protection Bill 2019).

Australian Acts

In-text citations

Format

Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation)

Jurisdiction Title of Act Year

Example

. . . was convicted of federal offences under the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth). The Crimes Act specifies . . .

The Tasmanian Local Government Act 1993 gave councils greater autonomy to act independently of the state government…

Tips

  • Give the full title of the Act and include the year. If the title includes a number, include it exactly as written, e.g. Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1966 (Cth)
  • Include the jurisdiction for the Act (e.g. Commonwealth, state, or territory) using one of two ways:
    • write the jurisdiction in the text, OR
    • the first time you cite the act, add an abbreviation of the jurisdiction in parentheses without italics after the Act title. For example, Water Act 2007 (Cth), Water Management Act 2000 (NSW). See the Style Manual: Acts of Parliament for abbreviations for Australian jurisdictions.
  • If you refer to the Act again in your text, use the Informal title, non-italicised and without the year (see ‘In-text citations - Informal title’ below).
 

In-text citations - Informal title

Format

Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation) (Informal title)

Example

. . . in the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth) (PGPA Act) … Section 10 of the PGPA Act defines a Commonwealth entity as . . .

Tips

  • When you refer to the Act again in your text, use only the Informal title, non-italicised and without the year.
 

Reference list

Format

Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction abbreviation)

Example

Crimes Act 1914 (Cth)

Acts from other countries

In-text citation and reference list

Format

Title Year (Country abbreviation)

Example

Digital Economy Act 2017 (UK)

Tips

Cases

In-text citations

Format

Party v Party (abbreviated title)

Example

The State of New South Wales v The Commonwealth (Wheat Case). The Wheat Case

Tips

  • If the case has an abbreviated title, include this title in parentheses after the case name the first time you cite it, and then use the abbreviated title in subsequent citations.

Reference list

Format

Party v Party.

Example

Commonwealth v Tasmania.

Tips

  • The Style Manual contains advice in regards to including more details when citing cases, including the year of the decision and where the report is published. Please refer to the Style Manual: Cases and legal authorities.

Treaties

A treaty is an international agreement that is binding under international law. Treaties include conventions, international agreements, covenants, an exchange of letters, international instruments, charters, or protocols.

In-text citation and reference list

Format

Treaty Title (abbreviated title) (Year)

Example

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (1966)

Use of separate reference lists for legislation and legal cases

The Style Manual states to include legal sources as a separate reference list and to separate legislation (bills, acts, and treaties) from legal cases. List the entries in alphabetical order in each list.

Reference list

Example

 

Legislation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (Cth)

Children Youth and Families Amendment Bill 2013 (Vic)

Digital Economy Act 2017 (UK)

Legal cases

Dutton v Republic of South Africa [1999] FCA 2

Victorian Railways Commissioners v Brown (1906) 3 CLR 1132

While the Style Manual: Legal material states that reference list entries are not always required when citing legislation and legal cases, we recommend you include all legal sources on a separate reference list for your assignments. Not all legal conventions are included in the Style Manual, and the advice provided by the authors is to refer to the AGLC style as an authoritative source. Check with your unit coordinator or supervisor if you are unsure of the conventions in your discipline.

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