Cite Advisor output correctly

A citation lets a reader find the exact words you relied on and check them. For legislation that means the title, the provision, the compilation and when its status was confirmed. For Hansard it means the speaker, the date, the attribution and the official record.

Before you begin

• A response from get_provision_text, or a Hansard result from search_hansard or get_hansard_speech.

Steps

1. Name the provision and the compilation. The title, the pinpoint, the compilation number where there is one, and the register id, which is the key.
2. Give the text check as anchor.label states it, with the authorised PDF page where given. Do not upgrade it: "Anchored" is not "Verified".
3. Give the status date: confirmed_with_frl_at.
4. Link the provision with its /l/ address, which anyone can open without signing in. Where a provision has no address, link the title on the Federal Register (frl_link).
5. For Hansard, give the speaker, chamber and date, the attribution "Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Parliament of Australia" and the official_record link, and quote the words exactly as returned.

CHAMBERS = {"senate": "Senate", "hofreps": "House of Representatives"}


def cite_provision(title, prov):
    """A citation for text from get_provision_text: what a reader needs to check it."""
    comp, anchor = prov["status"]["compilation"], prov["anchor"]
    number = f"Compilation No. {comp['compilation_no']}, " if comp.get("compilation_no") else ""
    page = f", authorised PDF page {anchor['authorised_pdf_page']}" if anchor.get("authorised_pdf_page") else ""
    link = prov.get("link")
    where = f"https://advisor.lawatlas.ai{link['url']}" if link else prov["status"]["frl_link"]
    return (f"{title}, {prov['pinpoint']} ({number}{comp['register_id']}). "
            f"Text check: {anchor['label']}{page}. "
            f"In force as confirmed with the Federal Register on {prov['status']['confirmed_with_frl_at'][:10]}. "
            f"{where}")


def cite_speech(hit):
    """The attribution a Hansard passage must carry under the conditions of use."""
    chamber = CHAMBERS.get(hit["chamber"], hit["chamber"])
    return (f"{hit['speaker']}, {chamber}, {hit['date']}. "
            f"Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Parliament of Australia. {hit['official_record']}")

Check it worked

On 10 October 2026's response for section 13K of the Privacy Act 1988, cite_provision("Privacy Act 1988", response) returned:

Privacy Act 1988, s 13K (Compilation No. 104, C2026C00227). Text check: Verified, authorised PDF page 88. In force as confirmed with the Federal Register on 2026-10-09. https://advisor.lawatlas.ai/l/C2004A03712/compilation_104/main/sec_13k

What to do if it did not

• link is missing: the provision has no eId. Cite the title's frl_link instead.
• compilation_no is null: the Federal Register does not number this compilation, which is usual for an instrument as made. The register id is enough.
• Never cite an aph.gov.au page as fetched. The official_record link is for a person to open; aph.gov.au refuses automated requests.

Next steps

• How Advisor identifies law
• Hansard