Style for Act titles is title case, not always italics

Use title case (maximal capitalisation) for the titles of Acts. Use italics for the first mention of these titles.

Use roman type for the titles of Acts in reference lists and other long lists. Blocks of italics are difficult to read.

The year the legislation is first enacted forms part of the title. Don’t use a comma before the year.

Include all the words in the title. If the title begins with ‘The’, ‘An’ or ‘A’, make sure you include it.

If the Act’s title has a number, include the number exactly as written. The contraction ‘No.’ retains the full stop in this situation, which is an exception to the general rule for the shortened form for ‘number’.

An Act has a short title (its name) and long title (a description). Both appear after the list of contents in the text of the Act. The long title appears as a heading before section 1 of the Act. The short title is named in section 1.

At first mention, use the short title in italics

The first time you name the Act in text, use the short title in italics.

After first mention, use the short title in roman type without the year

Always use the short title in italics the first time you cite the Act in your text.

If there are subsequent mentions of the Act, use the short title in roman type without the year.

Add the shortened form in parentheses at the first mention if it does more than just remove the year or the word ‘Act’ from the title.

Or use the informal title in roman type

Often, Acts also have a shorter informal title. This is usually an initialism or acronym of the short title.

At first mention, include the informal title in parentheses after the title. Use the informal title after that.

Use title case and roman type for the informal title.

Each Act has a series number to use in citations

Acts are also identified by series. Every Act made in a year is given a number starting at 1.

The series appears in the text of the Act immediately under the title, for example ‘Act No. 137 of 1979’.

Using the series in general content helps people identify the particular Act and find it in the Legislation Register. Series are also used in annotations and in notes.

Jurisdiction is an important detail

It is important to identify the jurisdiction of the Act – that is, whether it is an Act of:

• the Commonwealth
• a state or territory.

This helps people find the Act and understand where it applies. There are 2 ways to do this.

Write a sentence that makes jurisdiction clear

The first way is to write a sentence that explains where the Act originates. This method is useful in documents that don’t mention legislation frequently.

Use the shortened form of the jurisdiction in the Act’s title in roman type and in parentheses

Alternatively, insert the jurisdiction’s shortened form in roman type in parentheses after the italicised title.

Use these shortened forms:

• Cth (the Commonwealth)
• ACT (Australian Capital Territory)
• NT (Northern Territory)
• NSW (New South Wales)
• Qld (Queensland)
• SA (South Australia)
• Tas (Tasmania)
• Vic (Victoria)
• WA (Western Australia).

None of these shortened forms for jurisdictions are punctuated.

An initial capital is correct, whether the reference is generic or not

Always use capitals for the words ‘Act’ and ‘Acts’ when you write about Acts of parliament. This avoids possible confusion in publications, even those that are mostly about the law. The words ‘act’ and ‘acts’ have several meanings.

The basic unit of an Act is a section (s)

An Act contains sections, which are often divided into subsections. Subsections might be divided into paragraphs and subparagraphs.

Use lower case for these units unless they begin a sentence.

Sections are usually grouped into parts, divisions and subdivisions. An Act only has subdivisions if there are divisions. Some larger Acts – for example, the Criminal Code Act 1995 – group these units into chapters.

Always use an initial capital for a specific reference to a ‘Chapter’, ‘Part’, ‘Division’ or ‘Subdivision’.

Choose how to cite units below section level

Commonwealth Acts cite units at the smallest unit below section level. This is a convention used by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in legislative drafting.

Some jurisdictions cite at section level.

Whether to cite at section level or below will depend on the context for your content. You can choose which method to follow.

Content that discuss the operation and effect of certain subsections, paragraphs and subparagraphs will cite at the smallest unit level. A general discussion about the provisions of an Act might only cite at section level.

Follow in-house style. Otherwise, be guided by the type of content you’re writing, and its purpose and audience.

Don’t use a full stop after the shortened forms of units

The units of an Act are written in long or shortened form (an abbreviation or contraction), depending on the context. Never begin a sentence with the shortened form.

Don’t use a full stop after the shortened form when you use it in a citation or note.

Titles of Acts from other countries are in roman type

Write all legislation from foreign countries in roman type, followed by the country abbreviation.

If you’re not sure of an abbreviation, write the sentence to make the jurisdiction clear.

Reference to Australia’s Constitution needs capitalisation only

Always capitalise ‘Constitution’ when writing about Australia’s Constitution.

The Constitution was enacted by the British Parliament. The long title of the Act is the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK).

Like all foreign Acts of parliament, it is written in roman type, not italics.

The original version is available on the UK Government Legislation website. A compilation including amendments is on the Legislation Register.

How you refer to Australia’s Constitution depends on the context.

• Write ‘the Constitution’ when it’s clear that you’re referring to Australia’s Constitution.
• If you’re unsure, use ‘the Australian Constitution’ so there’s no confusion.