Last Updated: 30 Sep, 2020     Views: 2859

Many courts have introduced medium neutral citations so unreported judgments made available online can be cited in the same way as paper copies. This avoids confusion if page numbering differs over publication formats. The components of a medium neutral citation are:

  • names of the parties
  • the year of the judgment
  • abbreviation for the court name
  • number (assigned consecutively by order of issue)
  • status (unreported)
  • judges
  • date of judgment.

For example:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd [2001] HCA 63 (Unreported, Gleeson CJ, Gaudron, Gummow, Kirby, Hayne and Callinan JJ, 15 November 2001).

Note that the number following the court abbreviation is not a page number - it indicates that this is the 63rd High Court judgment for 2001.

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