Primary sources – Cases
Reported Judgments
Cite from authorised law reports if available (CLR, FCR, VR, etc)
Law reports with sequential volume numbering - use round brackets for the year Party names (Year) Volume number Law Report Abbreviation First page, Cited page and/or [paragraph number]
Example: New South Wales v Lepore (2003) 212 CLR 511
Law reports with sequence organised by year rather than volume - use square brackets for the year Party names [Year] Volume number if applicable Law report abbreviation First page, Cited page and/or [paragraph number]
Example: Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd v X [2001] 3 VR 601
Unreported Judgments
Use Medium Neutral Citation if available Party names [Year of decision] Court abbreviation Sequential judgment number (Full date)
Example: R v Whyte [2004] VSCA 5 (12 April 2004)
Primary sources – Statutes
Acts
Short title Year (Jurisdiction) Pinpoint reference
Example: Legal Practices Act 1996 (Vic) s 37
Bills
Short title Year (Jurisdiction)
Example: Anti-terrorism Bill 2004 (Cth)
Primary sources – Treaties
Treaties
Treaty title, Parties names, Date Opened for Signature or Signed, Treaty Series, Date of Entry into Force
Example: Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America [ANZUS], opened for signature 1 September 1951, [1952] ATS 2 (entered into force 29 April 1952)
Secondary sources – Books
Author, Title (Publisher, Edition, Year of publication), Page, paragraph or chapter reference.
Author names in Footnote: first name, last name
Author names in Bibliography: last name, first name
Authored book
Example:
Chisolm, Richard and Nettheim, Garth, Understanding Law: An Introduction to Australia's Legal System (LexisNexis Butterworths, 7th ed, 2007)
Edited book
Example:
Kinley, David (ed), Human Rights in Australian Law: Principles, Practice and Potential (Federation Press, 1998)
Chapter in an edited book
Example:
Morgan, F, 'The Extent and Location of Crime', in Goldsmith, Andrew, Israel, Mark and Daly, Kathleen (eds), Crime and Justice: an Australian Textbook in Criminology (Lawbook, 2nd ed, 2003), 11
Secondary sources – Journal articles
Author, 'Title' (Year) Volume Journal Title, First page number of the article, Cited page.
Journal article with continuous voluming - use round brackets for the year
Example:
Bagaric, Mirko, 'Active and Passive Euthanasia: Is there a Moral Distinction and Should there be a Legal Difference?' (1977) 5 Journal of Law and Medicine, 143.
Journal article with no continuous voluming - use square brackets for the year
Example:
Lee, HP, 'The High Court and Implied Fundamental Guarantees' [1993] Public Law 606.
Note - an article should be cited as above regardless of retrieval method (ie. print or electronic) UNLESS the article is ONLY available in electronic form. If paragraph numbers are available, these may be referred to and enclosed in square brackets.
Journal article only available on the internet (no print equivalent)
Example:
Rimmer, Matthew, 'Daubism: Copyright Law and Artistic Works' (2002) 9(4) eLaw Journal: Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law [58] <http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n4/rimmer94.html>
Secondary sources – Internet
Author, Title (Full date of last update), Website name <URL>
A Document published on the internet
Example:
Board of Examiners, Admission Requirements (18 February 2010), Council of Legal Education <http://www.lawadmissions.vic.gov.au>
Secondary sources – Other legal sources
Secondary source-Law Reform Agency report
Name of law reform commission, Title, Report/Discussion Paper No (Year).
Example:
Australian Law Reform Commission, Essentially Yours: the Protection of Human Genetic Information in Australia, Report No 96 (2003).
Secondary source-Legal Encyclopaedia
Publisher, Title of Encyclopaedia, (at Full Date of last update) Title # Name of title, 'Chapter # Name of chapter' [Paragraph #].
Example:
LexisNexis, Halsbury's Laws of Australia, (at 15 March 2010) 85 Conflict of Laws, 'I General' [85].
Secondary source-Commentary (Loose-leaf service)
Publisher, Title of service, volume #, (at most Recent Service Number), Pinpoint
Example:
Bourke, J P, Bourke's Criminal Law, Victoria, vol 1 (at Service 95) [3.120]
Online service - volume numbers are not applicable
Example:
Thomson Reuters, Lawyers Practice Manual, Victoria (at March 2010) [1.1.401
Quoting and paraphrasing
You must reference your sources whenever you quote or paraphrase.
Quotations are covered in AGLC4 Rule 1.5
Quotation example:
Groves’ analysis of the OG judgment that ‘disclosure of academic misconduct should not be limited to formal disciplinary findings or proceedings.' 1
Paraphrase example:
Groves argues that the decision in the OG case applies to situations beyond university study. 1
