This course will examine planning and environmental assessment legislation, policy and case law. The course will focus on the laws of Victoria, although the laws in other states and territories of Australia will be examined where pertinent.
Although the teaching component of the course will be divided into a planning module and an environmental assessment module, the use of case studies and readings will draw together these two subsets of environmental law and illustrate that they share much in common.
Within the planning module, the course will focus on: the objectives of planning policy, particularly in an era of sustainability; balancing private and public interests through planning laws; the role of law in achieving traditional (eg urban infrastructure) and contemporary (eg sustainable cities and climate change adaptation) planning goals; the planning instruments and regulatory mechanisms for implementing planning policies; the role of courts and tribunals in reviewing planning decisions; and the rights and role of the community in planning law.
Within the environmental assessment module of the course, the emphasis will be on the procedures of environmental impact assessment.
The course will examine the origins, function and objectives of environmental assessment, particularly using the Commonwealth’s primary environmental law as an example. The course will include an evaluation of the common criticisms of environmental assessment regimes, an examination of the role of the community, proponent, government and judiciary in the assessment process, and provide an opportunity for discussion on alternative legal models for environmental assessment.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
At the conclusion of this course students should be able to:
- understand and explain the traditional and contemporary principles of planning;
- describe the planning and planning-related functions of different levels of government;
- critically examine the role of law in achieving the objectives of planning policy and broader environmental objectives and the place for community in the planning process;
- understand and explain environmental impact assessment procedures (including under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act);
- identify the limitations and strengths of environmental assessment regimes, particularly having regard to the role and contribution of the community; and
- present the findings of research in written form and logically and critically answer a problem question.
Other Information
This is an online course (see LLM timetable for dates) which will be conducted via the Wattle course site.Indicative Assessment
The Course Study Guide which will be available on the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior the commencement of the course.
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Workload
This course will be online from 17 August to 25 September 2015
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
The preliminary reading required for this course will be available in the Course Study Guide which will be available on the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior the commencement of the course.
A reading guide will be included in the Course Study Guide with required and recommended reading. Readings will be posted to WATTLE.
Assumed Knowledge
This course assumes an understanding of environmental law principles. The course does not assume specific town planning or environmental assessment knowledge.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2958 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4146 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Winter Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1714 | 17 Aug 2015 | 17 Aug 2015 | 04 Sep 2015 | 06 Nov 2015 | In Person | N/A |