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This guide will help you understand how to properly cite legal sources in AGLC format, Australia's most widely adopted legal citation standard. Whether you're citing High Court cases, Commonwealth legislation, or journal articles, following AGLC 4th edition rules ensures your legal writing meets the standards expected by Australian law schools, courts, and journals.
What Is AGLC?
The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) is Australia's standard legal citation system, published by the Melbourne University Law Review and Melbourne Journal of International Law. Now in its 4th edition (2018), AGLC provides comprehensive rules for citing Australian legal materials, international sources, and secondary literature.
AGLC uses a footnote system where superscript numbers in the text correspond to citations at the bottom of each page. An optional bibliography appears at the end of the document.
Footnote Basics
AGLC citations appear in footnotes, not in the main text. Key formatting rules:
- Footnote numbers appear as superscript after punctuation
- Each footnote ends without a full stop (period)
- Pinpoint references direct readers to specific pages or paragraphs
- Use "ibid" when citing the same source as the immediately preceding footnote
Citing Cases
Reported Cases
The standard format for reported Australian cases:
Format: Party A v Party B (Year) Volume Report Series Starting Page
Examples:
¹ Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1
² Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Baxter Healthcare Pty Ltd (2007) 232 CLR 1, 35
Common Australian report abbreviations include CLR (Commonwealth Law Reports), ALR (Australian Law Reports), and HCA (High Court of Australia).
Unreported Cases
Format: Party A v Party B (Unreported, Court, Judge, Full Date)
³ R v Smith (Unreported, Supreme Court of Victoria, Bell J, 15 March 2020)
Medium Neutral Citations
Most Australian courts now issue judgments with medium neutral citations:
⁴ Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1
Citing Legislation
Acts of Parliament
Format: Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction) pinpoint
Examples:
⁵ Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 52
⁶ Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) s 3
Jurisdiction abbreviations: Cth (Commonwealth), NSW, Vic, Qld, WA, SA, Tas, ACT, NT.
Regulations and Rules
⁷ Competition and Consumer Regulations 2010 (Cth) reg 45
Bills
⁸ Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 (Cth)
Citing Secondary Sources
Books
Format: Author, Title (Publisher, Edition, Year) Pinpoint
Examples:
⁹ Michael Kirby, Paradoxes and Principles (Federation Press, 2011) 74
¹⁰ LexisNexis, Halsbury's Laws of Australia (LexisNexis Butterworths, vol 1, 2016) 425
For multiple authors, list up to three; use "et al" for four or more:
¹¹ Paul Rishworth et al, The New Zealand Bill of Rights (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Edited Books
¹² Sarah Joseph and Melissa Castan (eds), The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Oxford University Press, 3rd ed, 2013)
Journal Articles
Format: Author, 'Title' (Year) Volume(Issue) Journal Name Starting Page, Pinpoint
¹³ Cheryl Saunders, 'The Concept of the Crown' (2015) 38(3) Melbourne University Law Review 873, 880
¹⁴ James Stellios, 'Using Federalism to Protect Political Communication' (2007) 31(1) Melbourne University Law Review 239
Short Citations and Ibid
Ibid
Use "ibid" when citing the same source as the immediately preceding footnote:
¹⁵ Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, 42
¹⁶ Ibid 58
Subsequent References
For sources cited earlier (but not immediately preceding), use a shortened form:
¹⁷ Saunders (n 13) 885
¹⁸ Mabo (n 15) 63
Bibliography Format
The bibliography lists all cited sources alphabetically by author surname. Unlike footnotes, bibliographies:
- Do not include pinpoint references
- Separate author surname from first name with a comma
- Group sources by type (Articles, Books, Cases, Legislation, etc.)
Example entries:
Articles Saunders, Cheryl, 'The Concept of the Crown' (2015) 38(3) Melbourne University Law Review 873
Books Kirby, Michael, Paradoxes and Principles (Federation Press, 2011)
AGLC vs Bluebook
| Feature | AGLC | Bluebook |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Australia | United States |
| Case names | Italicized | Italicized |
| Legislation titles | Italicized | Regular text |
| Subsequent citations | (n X) cross-reference | Short form with supra |
| Current edition | 4th (2018) | 22nd (2023) |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Incorrect punctuation: AGLC footnotes do not end with a full stop
- Wrong jurisdiction abbreviation: Use "Cth" not "C'th" or "Commonwealth"
- Forgetting pinpoints: Always include page or paragraph references when citing specific content
- Misusing ibid: Only use when the immediately preceding footnote cites the same source
- Incorrect italicization: Case names and legislation titles should be italicized; report series should not
References
- Melbourne University Law Review Association and Melbourne Journal of International Law, Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed, 2018)
- University of Queensland Library, "AGLC4: Australian Guide to Legal Citation" (2024)
- Griffith University Library, "AGLC 4 Referencing Guide" (2024)
