Government, NGO and legal
Deakin’s Australian Harvard guide was retired in February 2026. Students should now use the referencing style required by their unit, such as APA7 or Chicago author-date. The former Harvard PDF is still available, but it is no longer maintained.
Deakin guide to Australian Harvard (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Last updated: 2 April 2026
Government overview
In-text citations
The author of government reports and other publications is often a specific department or agency.
- Only use a shortened form of a department or agency if it is in common use.
- Spell out the full name of a department or agency the first time you use it, then use the shortened form from that point on.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT 2020), Australia ranks 23 in Afghanistan’s principal export destinations.
DFAT (2020) states …
One aim is to better understand intergenerational disadvantage (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW] 2020:para.12).
Reliable data is important when discussing factors that influence wellbeing (AIHW 2020:para.2).
Reference list
- If you use a shortened form in your text, provide the reference list entry under the shortened form of the name, followed by the full name in brackets.
- For online sources, hyperlink the title if the source is freely available to the public.
- For reports that are part of a series, provide the title of the series.
- Provide a catalogue number, if one exists.
- Include the name of the government that the department belongs to.
- Cite according to source type. See also the Harvard topics: Book, Web page, Web document, Media release, Report.
Report on a web page:
Note: In this example, the source is also a part of a series, and has a catalogue number and a DOI.
Shortened Form (Agency) (year) ‘Title of report’, Title of series, catalogue number, Agency, Government, DOI
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2020) ‘Australia’s welfare 2019: data insights’, Australia’s Welfare Series 14, catalogue number AUS 226, AIHW, Australian Government, doi:10.25816/5d5e14e6778df
Print report with a named author:
Author (year) Title of report, Department, Government, Place of publication.
Baslum S (2000) Payments to Vietnam veterans: a summary, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Australian Government, Canberra.
Web document:
Shortened Form (Department) (year) Title of document, Department, Government, accessed date.
DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) (2020) Fact sheets for countries, economies and regions: ‘Afghanistan’, DFAT, Australian Government, accessed 17 September 2020.
Department of Justice, Community and Justice Policy (2007) Step forward: getting help about sexual violence, Department of Justice, Northern Territory Government, accessed 25 August 2019.
Web page:
Shortened Form (Department) (year) Title of webpage, Department, Government, accessed date.
DET (Department of Education and Training) (2020) Bushfire at-risk register (BARR), DET, State Government of Victoria, accessed 3 October 2020.
ABS
In-text citations
Spell out the full name of the Australian Bureau of Statistics the first time you use it, then use the shortened form ABS from that point on.
… (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2013).
... (ABS 2013).
Reference list
- Hyperlink the title of the ABS publication to the precise URL.
- Provide the ABS catalogue number, where relevant.
- Learn more about citing various ABS resources (but then always apply the advice in this guide to your final citation).
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (year) Title of publication, catalogue number, accessed date.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2013) Industrial disputes, Australia, June 2013, catalogue number 6321.0.55.001, accessed 8 July 2020.
Bills
The following advice is based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) referencing style. For further details, see the Deakin guide to AGLC.
The following details are included in both in-text citations and the reference list.
- Title and year: the title of the Bill is followed by the year (but they are not in italics, as with Acts)
- Jurisdiction: abbreviated and in round brackets, e.g. (Cth) = Commonwealth
- Pinpoint reference: references are often to clauses or subclauses. For example, cl = clause; sub-cl = subclause (see section 3.1.4 and Appendix C of the AGLC).
In-text citations
- Citations of Bills may be integrated into the sentence or cited in round brackets at the end of the sentence.
Title of Legislation year (Abbreviation of jurisdiction) pinpoint
In regards to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth) cl 83 …
… (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth) cl 83).
Reference list
- There is no full stop at the end of reference list entries.
- Note: you may be asked in your unit to create a separate section for legal sources (e.g. Acts and Bills).
Title of Bill year (abbreviation of jurisdiction) pinpoint
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth) cl 83
Cases
The following advice is based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) referencing style. For further details, see the Deakin guide to AGLC.
The following details are included in both in-text citations and the reference list.
- Case name: full name of case in italics
- Year: in square brackets – if case has a unique court identifier or if law report volume is organised by year
- Year: in round brackets – if law report is organised by continuous volume numbers
- Unique court identifier: See rule 2.3.1 and Appendix B of the AGLC for a list of unique court identifiers
- Judgement number
- Pinpoint: if required, refer to the paragraph number
In-text citations
Citations of cases may be integrated into the sentence or cited in round brackets at the end of the sentence.
Case name [year] Unique court identifier Judgement number pinpoint
In Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZIAI [2009] HCA 39 [27], it is stated that …
… (Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZIAI [2009] HCA 39 [27]).
Reference list
- There is no full stop at the end of reference list entries.
- Create a separate section for cases within the reference list, under the sub-heading 'Cases'. List cases alphabetically.
Case name [year] Unique court identifier Judgement number Pinpoint
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZIAI [2009] HCA 39
Cases without a unique court identifier (Reported cases):
- Where a case does not use a unique court identifier in the citation, it has come from a law report series. The abbreviations for law reports are in Appendix A of the AGLC.
- Note that both round and square brackets are used around the year. Copy the reference details as they appear in your source.
- Some of these cases have no volume number.
Case name (year) or [year] Volume if applicable Abbreviation of law report series First page of case, pinpoint
Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Mather (1988) 164 CLR 387, 390
Legislation
The following advice is based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) referencing style. For further details, see the Deakin guide to AGLC.
The following details are included in both in-text citations and the reference list.
- Title and year: the title of the Act is followed by the year, and are both in italics
- Jurisdiction: abbreviated and in round brackets e.g. (Cth) = Commonwealth
- Pinpoint reference: reference to a page, paragraph, section, clause, etc. For example, s = section; pt = part (see rule 3.1.4 and Appendix C of the AGLC).
In-text citations
Citations of legislation may be integrated into the sentence or cited in round brackets at the end of the sentence.
Title of Act year (abbreviation of jurisdiction) pinpoint
In the Transfer of Land Act 1958 (Vic) s 74, we find that …
… (Banking Act 1959 (Cth) s 5).
Australian consumer law:
The principle consumer protection law in Australia is found in schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). The first citation of this Act should be:
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) sch 2 (‘Australian Consumer Law’)
Subsequent citations should be shortened to Australian Consumer Law. See rule 3.1.7 in the AGLC for more information on individual parts of legislative material.
Unconscionable conduct is prohibited under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) sch 2 (‘Australian Consumer Law’). In relation to goods and services, the relevant provision is s 21 of the Australian Consumer Law.
Reference list
- There is no full stop at the end of reference list entries.
- Note: you may be asked in your unit to create a separate section for legal sources (e.g. Acts and Bills).
Title of Act year (abbreviation of jurisdiction) pinpoint
Banking Act 1959 (Cth) s 5
Transfer of Land Act 1958 (Vic) s 74
NGO
In-text citations
- Only use a shortened form of a non-government organisation (NGO) if it is in common use.
- Spell out the full name of an organisation the first time you use it, then use the shortened form from that point on.
The World Health Organization (WHO 2014) states that …
The WHO (2014) reports ...
… (Australia for UNHCR 2019)
Reference list
- If you use a shortened form in your text, provide the reference list entry under the shortened form of the name, followed by the full name in brackets.
- Cite according to source type. See also the Harvard topics: Book, Web page, Web document, Media release.
Organisation (year) Title of document, Name of Website/Organisation, accessed date.
Australia for UNHCR (2019) 2019 annual report, UN Refugee Agency, accessed 3 July 2020.
WHO (World Health Organization) (2014) WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion, WHO, accessed 3 August 2020.
Organisation (year) Title of web page, Name of Website/Organisation, accessed date.
UNICEF Australia (n.d.) Early childhood development, UNICEF Australia, accessed 26 March 2019.
Parliament
Parliamentary debates and proceedings:
In-text citations
… (Australian Senate 2000).
Reference list
When citing Australian parliamentary debate, or Hansard, provide:
- the volume number before a colon
- page number range after the colon.
Name of Parliamentary Committee or House (year) Debates, volume:page range.
Australian House of Representatives (2000) Debates, HR103:2–9.
Australian Senate (2000) Debates, S25:68.
When citing official recordings of proceedings in Parliament, provide:
- the issue number in parentheses, or the volume number
- page number range after the colon.
Name of Parliamentary Committee or House (year) Journals or Votes and Proceedings, (issue) or volume:page range.
Australian House of Representatives (2000–01) Votes and Proceedings, 1:631.
Australian Senate (2000–01) Journals, (123):718.
Treaties
The following advice is based on the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) referencing style. For further details, see the Deakin guide to AGLC.
Treaties (also known as Conventions, Covenants, Declarations, Protocols and Statutes) are international agreements between states and are part of international law.
In-text citations
The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (‘CISG’) governs contracts of sale of commercial goods between signatories. A written contract is not mandatory (CISG art 11) and an offer becomes effective when it reaches the offeree (CISG art 15).
Reference list
United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, signed 11 April 1980, 1489 UNTS 3 (entered into force 1 January 1988).