Cite legal material in APA 7
Learn how to cite legal sources in APA 7 style using AGLC. Use correct correct formats for Acts, Bills, cases, and treaties in Australian to reference sources accurately in your writing.
The APA style guide focuses on legal sources from the United States and United Nations, and refers readers to The Bluebook: A uniform system of citation (Bluebook, 2015), which does not cover Australian legal sources. In Australia, the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) is widely used by the legal community as a standard for legal citation. AGLC (4th ed) 2018 is published by the Melbourne University Law Review Association Inc in collaboration with the Melbourne Journal of International Law Inc.
Some of the following examples are taken from the AGLC. Please check with your school or course description for any specific requirements regarding referencing.
In-text citations
- Start with the short title of the legislation and the year in italics if referring to an Act in the body of the text.
- The long title of an Act should only be used if the Act does not have a short title.
- The year in which the Act was originally passed is considered to be part of the title of the Act and therefore should be included in italics following the title, whether or not the Act includes it in the official short title.
- Following the title and year, include the abbreviated form of the jurisdiction of the legislation enclosed in brackets e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth and (Vic) for Victoria.
- To pinpoint a section or paragraph of an Act, use the abbreviation s or para followed by a space and the number. Other abbreviations are detailed in AGLC 4 section 3.1.4.
- Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the title and year of the Act in italics, jurisdiction in brackets and section number(s) (if applicable).
| Citation format | Example |
| Paraphrase |
By virtue of s 130.1 of the Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) . . . According to the Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) s 29 . . . |
| Direct quote | "A person receiving mental health services in a designated mental health service may be kept in seclusion if seclusion is necessary to prevent imminent and serious harm to the person or to another person" (Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) s 110). |
Reference list
- The formatting of statutes appears the same in the reference list as in your text.
- Start with the name of the statute in italics, followed by the year the statute was passed in italics. Then in brackets, state the abbreviation for the jurisdiction which passed the Act, e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth, or the State abbreviation. Finally, the section number and subsection number, if referring to a particular section of the statute.
- Include the URL from which you retrieved the material. (optional; this is not strictly required for legal citations but may aid readers in retrieval)
| Reference format | Example |
| Template | Statute name Year (jurisdiction) s xxx. URL |
| Reference list entry |
Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s 124(1). http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s124.html Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) s 110. https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/vic/num_act/mha201426o2014174/s110.html Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic) s 115.1. https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/as-made/acts/mental-health-act-2014 |
In-text citations
- The title and year of a Bill should not be italicised (unlike Acts).
- The year of the Bill is considered to be part of the title and therefore should be included following the title. Following the title and year, include the abbreviated form of the jurisdiction of the legislation enclosed in brackets e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth, and (Vic) for Victoria.
- To pinpoint a clause or sub-clause of a Bill, use the abbreviation cl or sub-cl followed by a space and the number. Other abbreviations including multiple pinpoints are detailed in AGLC 4 sections 3.1.4 and 3.1.5.
- Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the title of the Bill, year, jurisdiction, and clause number(s) (if applicable) enclosed in brackets.
| Citation format | Example |
| Paraphrase |
…as detailed in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth) cl 83 . . . According to the Transport Accident Further Amendment Bill 2013 (Vic) . . . |
| Direct quote | " If a person (the supplier) supplies an amount of eligible 20 upstream fuel to another person (the recipient) who quotes the 21 recipient’s Obligation Transfer Number (OTN) in relation to 22 the supply, the supply will not count towards the supplier’s 23 liability for the financial year" (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 (Cth) cl 16). |
Reference list
- The formatting of Bills appears the same in the reference list as in your text.
- Start with the name of the Bill, followed by the year. Then in brackets, state the abbreviation for the jurisdiction, e.g. (Cth) for Commonwealth, or the State abbreviation. Finally, the clause number and sub-clause number if you are referring to a particular section of the Bill.
- Include the URL from which you retrieved the material. (optional; this is not strictly required for legal citations but may aid readers in retrieval).
- It is important to note that bills are not law and are rather proposals for law or to change a law. It is usually better to cite the relevant section of legislation in the place of a bill if it is available.
| Reference format | Example |
| Template | Title of Bill Year (jurisdiction) cl xxx. URL |
| Reference list entry |
Corporations Amendment Bill (No 1) 2005 (Cth). http://www.aph.gov.au Environment Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 (Cth). http://www.aph.gov.au |
In-text citations
- Start with the author of the coroner's report, and enclose the Year in brackets. If using the author of the coroner's report in the sentence, include the Year in brackets.
- Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the author of the coroner's report, the year it was delivered and the paragraph number in square brackets (if applicable).
| Citation format | Example |
| Paraphrase |
...in regards to the actions taken (Coroners Court of Victoria, 2023, s.95). The Coroners Court of Victoria (2023) found that the actions taken... |
| Direct quote | "was reviewed by the surgical team" (Coroners Court of Victoria, 2023, (s.95). |
Reference list
| Reference format | Example |
| Template | Author. (Year). Title of work (report number). Publisher if different from author. URL |
| Reference list entry |
Coroners Court of Victoria. (2023). Inquest into the death of Sasha (COR 2019 004069). https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/COR%202019-4069%20Form%2037-Finding%20into%20Death%20Following%20Inquest_Signed.pdf |
In-text citations
- When citing a case in-text, it is necessary to include the title of the case in italics followed by the year in brackets. Alternatively, it is also acceptable to include all case details enclosed in brackets; italicise only the case title, followed by the year.
- Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the title of the case, year, section heading (if applicable), and paragraph number.
| Citation format | Example |
| Paraphrase |
. . . (Minister for the Environment v Sharma, 2022). According to the case of Nasery v Global Rail (2024) . . . |
| Direct quote | "On 16 May 2014, a delegate of the Minister refused to grant the 572 visas to the first and second respondents because ..." (Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Kumar, 2017, para 6). |
Reference list
- The formatting of civil law cases appears the same in the reference list as in your text.
- If a case is obtained from an electronic database, add the URL.
In-text citations
- Start with the title of the Treaty or Convention, and enclose the Year in brackets. If using the Treaty or Convention name in the sentence, include the Year in brackets.
- Place direct quotes between double quotation marks (" ") and provide the title of the Treaty in italics, the year it entered into force, and the article number(s) (if applicable). Abbreviate article to 'art'.
| Citation format | Example |
| Paraphrase |
Nationality is a right of all indigenous people because ... (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) . . . |
| Direct quote | "Every indigenous individual has the right to a nationality” (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007, art 6(2)). |
Reference list
- Treaties are divided into sections or parts called articles (abbreviated to art) and often have several numbered paragraphs and sections, e.g. art 4(2)(a).
- If the sections in each article are labelled as sections, use the appropriate abbreviation, e.g., art 12 s 3 or art 3 s 9(a).
- Further information can be found in ACLC 4th ed. in sections 1.14, 1.16, and 8.
| Reference format | Example |
| Template | Name of Treaty or Convention, Month Day, Year, URL. |
| Reference list entry |
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, November 13, 2007, https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf |