This course examines labour law in Australia. Labour law is an important component of studies in the legal regulation of commerce. Students are introduced to the key aspects of labour laws which determine the rights, entitlements and responsibilities of employers and workers in the workplace. Both practical and theoretical perspectives on judge-made law and statute regulating work are examined. Given extensive recent legislative activity by the Commonwealth Parliament in the area of labour law, the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) as amended is analysed in some detail.
Topics covered include:
- the history, development and constitutional underpinnings of Australian labour law
- employees contrasted with other categories of workers
- the common law contract of employment
- minimum employment terms and conditions
- workplace bargaining and agreements
- the regulation of industrial conflict (including strikes)
- wrongful, unlawful and unfair termination of employment.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
The aim of this course is to assist students to develop an understanding of Australian labour law. Upon successful completion of this course, it is expected that students will be able to:- demonstrate an advanced understanding of the underlying legal principles, rules and institutions which regulate Australian work relationships (‘expected learning outcome one’);
- apply the legal rules which regulate Australian work relationships with initiative and judgment to problem questions (‘expected learning outcome two’); and
- critically analyse the legal rules and institutions which regulate Australian work relationships using theoretical, contextual and historical perspectives to complete a piece of research and scholarship with some independence (‘expected learning outcome three’).
Indicative Assessment
There are three assessment tasks for this course:- A compulsory mid-semester take-home exam worth 40% of the final mark in the course.
- A compulsory research essay worth 50% of the final mark in the course.
- A compulsory final online quiz worth 10% of the final mark in the course.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Three contact hours per week. Students are generally expected to devote at least 10 hours overall per week to this course.Requisite and Incompatibility
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 |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $3216 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4590 |
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.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9844 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
