Skip to Main Content
site header image

Harvard Referencing (Australian Government Author-date style)

Box Hill Institute will be changing the Harvard Referencing style to the standard for Australian Government writing and editing in 2026.

Legislation

In-text Citation

Put the title first when writing in-text citations and follow the title with the rest of the citation.

The Fair Work Act 2009 (Division 6(88) - Annual Leave) provides for...

OR

Commonwealth legislation (The Fair Work Act 2009, Division 6(88) - Annual Leave) provides for...

Reference List

It is helpful to identify the jurisdiction for the act (e.g. Commonwealth versus state or territory). Don't italicize the text as blocks of italics are difficult to read.

The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)

Legal Cases

In-text Citation

The people or organisations named in the case are known as ‘parties’. Capitalise the names of the parties but use a lower case ‘v’ between the party names. There is no full stop after ‘v’.

Case names have this basic form: Party v Party. Write the name of the case in italics. This rule is for case names that are mentioned briefly in general content.

e.g.

In Mabo v Queensland (No. 2), judgments of the High Court inserted the legal doctrine of native title into Australian law.

Reference List

Don't italicize the text as blocks of italics are difficult to read.

Mabo v Queensland [1992] (No. 2)

Standards

In-text Citation.

According to the standards for timber framed constructions in non-cyclonic areas, bolt holes in unseasoned timber shall be 2 mm to 3 mm greater in diameter than the bolt diameter (Standards Australia 2024).

Reference List

Standards Australia (28 June 2024) Residential timber-framed construction, Part 4: Simplified - Non-Cyclonic Areas, AS 1684.4:2024, Techstreet.