The information given in the AMA Manual of Style regarding citation of legislation is specific to US Bills and Statutes and does not translate easily to Australian legislation. As the manual recommends using the Blue Book for State Legislation (the Blue Book is the standard form of legal citation used in the US) we recommend using the AGLC for Australian legislation (which is the standard form of legal citation use in Australia).
However, in keeping with the requirements of AMA in general, if the legislation was accessed online, you will also need to include an accessed date and the URL. If the document you are citing has an updated or compiled date on it, include that as well.
For example:
- Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld) ch 7 pt 2 div 4 s 169. Accessed April 22, 2021. https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2014-007#sec.169.
- National Health Act 1953 (Cth) pt 4 s 84AA. Compiled December 16, 2020. Accessed April 22, 2021. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016Q00048.
More details can be found in the AGLC, but a brief summary of the pattern is as follows:
The name of the Act including the Year (Jurisdiction) section details. Accessed date. URL.
See page 68 of the AGLC for the jurisdiction abbreviations, and page 69-70 to see how to lay out the section details (AGLC calls it a pinpoint).
