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Government publications

This guide has now been superseded.
If you are required to use 'Harvard' style referencing please check with your subject coordinator as to which version of Harvard to use.

Government publications

Reference list

Corporate or group author name Year, Title, Publisher, Place of Publication.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2005, Weapons of mass destruction Australia's role in fighting proliferation: practical responses to new challenges, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra.

DFAT see Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Notes
  • It is common when referencing government publications to have the same group author and publisher.
  • Long group author names - if the group author name is long and cited frequently abbreviate the name in the in-text citation
  • In the reference list put in entries for both the full group author name and the abbreviated name.
  • If a committee has prepared the report for a government department or agency use the committee name as the author, and the government department as the publisher.

Reference list

Author or Group Author Year, Title, Publisher, Place of Publication.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1997, Bringing them home: report of the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Sydney.

Author or Group Author Year, Title, Publisher or Department responsible, Place of Publication if available, viewed day month year, <URL>.

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs 2009, Growing up in Australia: the longitudinal study of Australian children: 2008–09 annual report, FaHCSIA, Canberra, viewed 12 December 2010, <http://fahcsia.gov.au/sa/families/pubs/lsac_report_2009/Documents/LSAC_AR_08-09.pdf>.

FaHCSIA see Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Notes
  • Often the author and the publisher are the same in Government publications
  • Abbreviate long group names if being referred to often
  • Put both the abbreviated and full form of the group author in the reference list

Reference list

Author Surname, Initial(s) (Ministerial Portfolio if applicable) Year, Title of media release, media release, Day Month of Release, Name of Organization or Website, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.

Bailieu, T (Premier, Minister for the Arts) 2010, Coalition delivers for small business with clearways changes, media release, 9 December, Premier of Victoria, viewed 15 December 2010, <http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/101-coalition-delivers-for-small-business-with-clearways-changes.html>.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010, Silver screen devotees: cinema still Australians' favourite cultural activity, media release, 21 December, Australian Bureau of Statistics, viewed 21 December 2010, <http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/2982450DCACF53E3CA256DCC007A3516?OpenDocument>.
Notes
  • The description, 'media release', is inserted after the title of the media release.
In text referencing

Direct quote

The then Minister for Health, John Thwaites (Victoria, Legislative Assembly 2000, p. 2145) stated that "The National and Victorian Drug Household Survey indicate..."

The Prime Minister, Mr Howard predicted that "in the foreseeable future nuclear power...fossil fuel" (Australia, House of Representatives 2006, p. 41).

Paraphrasing

Thwaites outlined the Government's plan for safe injecting facilities in the Second Reading Speech... (Victoria, Legislative Assembly 2000 pp. 2144–2149).

The Prime Minister Mr Howard (Australia, House of Representatives 2006, p.40) outlined his defence for the government's failure to sign...

Reference list

Jurisdiction, Chamber Year, Parliamentary Debates, vol. Volume number, Page no/s.

Victoria, Legislative Assembly 2000, Parliamentary Debates, vol. 447, pp. 2144–2149.

Jurisdiction, Chamber of the House Year, Parliamentary Debates, vol. (if available), viewed day month, <URL>.

Australia, House of Representatives 2006, Parliamentary Debates, viewed 12 December 2010, <http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansardr/2006-10-31/0034/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType%3Dapplication%2Fpdf>.
Notes
  • The jurisdiction for the Victorian Hansard is written as Victoria; for the Commonwealth Hansard - Australia etc.
  • The Chamber is called:

Commonwealth – House of Representatives or Senate

Victoria – Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council.

  • Parliamentary Debates is always the title of the Hansard and is written in italics
  • The volume number may not be available in the online version

 

  
In text referencing

Direct quote

In the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission it was acknowledged that "underground cable essentially eliminates bushfire risk associated with the provision of electricity" (Victoria, Parliament 2010, p. 154).

Paraphrase

Underground electricity cabling has been shown to eliminate the risk of sparking a bushfire (Victoria, Parliament 2010, p. 154).

Reference list

Jurisdiction, Parliament Year, Title, (Name, Chairperson or Commissioner), Parl. Paper number, vol. number if relevant, Publisher, Place of Publication.

Victoria, Parliament 2010, 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, (B. Teague, Chairperson) Parl. Paper 332, vol. 2, The Commission, Melbourne.
Notes
  • A reference to a Commonwealth Parliamentary paper would begin Australia, Parliament...
  • If a Commissioner or Chairperson is mentioned, their name is written in round brackets after the title

Reference list

ABS - Print

Australian Bureau of Statistics Year, Full title, cat. no. number, ABS, Canberra.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Divorces Australia 2007, cat. no. 3307.0.55.001, ABS, Canberra.

ABS - Online

Australian Bureau of Statistics Year, Full title, cat. no. number, viewed day month year, <URL>.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Divorces Australia 2007, cat. no. 3307.0.55.001, viewed 17 January 2011, <http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3307.0.55.001Main+Features12007?OpenDocument>.

Other government departments - Online

Author or Group Author Year, Full title, cat. no. number if available, Publisher or Department responsible, Place of Publication if available, viewed day month year, <URL>.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018, Australia's health 2018: In brief, cat. no. AUS 222, AIHW, Canberra, viewed 12 September 2018, <https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australiashealth/australias-health-2018-in-brief/contents/about>

AIHW see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Notes
  • It is acceptable to abbreviate the department name for your in-text citation (e.g. ABS), if the full name and abbreviation has been used in the first in-text reference.
  • Put both the abbreviated and full form of the group author in the reference list.
  • Place of publication for printed ABS statistics is always Canberra.
  • Year of publication is the year it is released, not the date in the title.
  • Include the Catalogue number preceded by cat. no. (the number is part of the title on ABS publications).
  • If there is no catalogue number, refer to Government Report (Print / Online).

In-text Referencing

Direct Quotes:

Always include the page number in-text when using a direct quote.  If the resource does not include page numbers, omit that part of the in-text reference.

Author Notes:

Include the surname/s of the author and year. For example,

 

No author: The life of insects (1979, p. 23)  (The life of insects 1979, p. 23)

 

One author: Metcalf (2005, p. 184) (Metcalf 2005, p. 184)

 

Two to three authors: Savage, Bagnall and Longhurst (2005, p. 13)  (Savage, Bagnall & Longhurst 2005, p. 13)

 

Four or more authors: Kring et al. (2010, p. 71) (Kring et al. 2010, p. 72)

 

Group / corporate author: National Institute on Drug Abuse (2010)  (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2010)

Author Prominent

Metcalf (2005, p. 184) states that "the Nuer of southern Sudan lacked any institutions of governance; no chiefs or councils of elders, no armies or law enforcement".

Kring et al. (2010, p. 71) observe that “during the Dark Ages, some people with mental illness were cared for in monasteries, but many simply roamed the countryside”.
Information Prominent

"the Nuer of southern Sudan lacked any institutions of governance; no chiefs or council of elders, no armies or law enforcement" (Metcalf 2005, p. 184).

It has been suggested that “during the Dark Ages, some people with mental illness were cared for in monasteries, but many simply roamed the countryside” (Kring et al. 2010, p. 72).

"Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain's reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine" (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2010).

Paraphrasing:

It is strongly recommended that you also include the page number(s) when paraphrasing.
Author Prominent

Metcalf (2005, p. 184) contends that critical anthropology is characterised by reflexivity rather than negativism.

Savage, Bagnall and Longhurst (2005, p. 13) argue that the demise of local identities posited by some sociologist over the last two centuries, has not been borne out.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, dopamine is released in the brain when most drugs of abuse are used (2010).
Information Prominent

Effective teaching is based on several... (Killen 2009, p.10)

The demise of local identities posited by some sociologist over the last two centuries, has not been borne out (Savage, Bagnall & Longhurst 2005, p. 13).