Administrative Law examines the legal framework for controlling decision-making by Commonwealth, State and local government decision-makers in Australia. It focuses on the legal restraints upon government, and the role those restraints play in maintaining government accountability. The role played by courts, tribunals and Ombudsman and the opportunities available to the public to question government activity is examined. The course covers the core administrative law material required for admission purposes and for work in the area of law and government. The following topics will be covered:

• what accountability means in the context of the administrative state';

• changing patterns of 'governance' in contemporary Australia;

• the historical and constitutional context of Australian administrative law;

• the administrative law framework for review of government decision-making;

• concepts and principles of merits and judicial review;

• jurisdiction and remedies available from courts and tribunals, and the principles of standing;

• other administrative law avenues including information access rights and ombudsmen; and

• the impact of human rights legislation on Australian administrative law.

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify, explain and apply the principles of administrative law covered in the course;
2. Identify and analyse some of the current controversies and trends in the area of administrative law
3. Access, use, interpret and apply complex statutory material to solve administrative law problems;
4. Select and apply a range of approaches to written and oral communication, and apply the critical thinking required to bring about solutions to complex administrative law problems;
5. Analyse and predict how unresolved or ambiguous administrative law questions could be resolved by the courts through an analysis of case law and the judicial method.

Research-Led Teaching

The seminars will be taught by teachers who are leading researchers in the administrative law (see above ‘Contact Information’). The course will include consideration of current research and contemporary issues.

Will Bateman has published in leading journals on both administrative law and constitutional law. He recently completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge and, in 2016, was Associate to the Hon Justice Stephen Gageler. He has also served as an Associate in the Federal Court of Australia, the busiest administrative law jurisdiction in Australia. (See https://law.anu.edu.au/people/will-bateman)

Leighton McDonald's textbook and articles are widely cited in the administrative law literature. He is legal adviser to the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, Parliament of Australia, and was Associate to the Hon Justice Mary Gaudron. (See https://law.anu.edu.au/people/leighton-mcdonald).

Daniel Stewart has published widely on a range of administrative law topics, including important recent publications on freedom of information law. Daniel also acts as the Independent Research Monitor for Australia for the International Open Government Partnership, and is the legal adviser to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety (Legislative Scrutiny Role) of the ACT Parliament. He also has extensive experience as a consultant for HWL Ebsworth solicitors on matters involving administrative law and has served as an Associate in the Federal Court of Australia. See (https://law.anu.edu.au/people/daniel-stewart)

Required Resources

Students will require a textbook and the associated ‘cases’ book. The books can be purchased as a 'pack'.

Text: Peter Cane, Leighton McDonald, and Kristen Rundle, Principles of Administrative Law (3^rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2018)

Cases: Peter Cane, Leighton McDonald, and Kristen Rundle, Cases for Principles of Administrative Law (3^rd ed , Oxford University Press, 2018)

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Extensions late submission and penalties - https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/extensions-late-submission-and-penalties

Deferred examination: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations

Special consideration: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/special-assessment-consideration

Penalties for excess word length: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/word-length-and-excess-word-penalties

Distribution of Grades Policy: Effective from Winter Session and Second Semester 2018 (and until further notice), the current Grading Distribution Policy has been suspended pending the development of a new policy. For further information about the interim policy please see: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/grading

Further Information about the Course: is available from the course WATTLE page. Students are required to access the WATTLE site regularly throughout the course for details on weekly classes and any announcements and updates relating to the course.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Seminar A Introduction to Administrative Law and the Australian Admin Law System Seminar B Introduction to Judicial Review
2	Seminar A The Scope of Judicial Review under Statutory Sources of Jurisdiction Seminar B Supervisory jurisdiction of State Supreme Courts Review of delegated legislation
3	Seminar A Judicial Review Remedies and the centrality of jurisdictional error Seminar B What are jurisdictional errors?
4	Seminar A Remedies: the nuts and bolts The consequences of invalidity Seminar B Introduction to Grounds of review Procedural Fairness hearing rule
5	Seminar A Procedural Fairness Hearing Rule (continued) Seminar B Rule against bias; statutory procedures
6	Seminar A Relevant and irrelevant considerations Unauthorised purposes Seminar B Catch up; mid-semester take home revision
7	Seminar A The role of policy in decision-making; dictation; delegation Seminar B Fact/Law distinction; Jurisdictional facts
8	Seminar A Legal reasonableness and human rights norms Seminar B Standing
9	Seminar A Statutory restrictions on judicial review I Seminar B Statutory restrictions on judicial review II
10	Seminar A Merits review and tribunals I Seminar B Merits review and tribunals II
11	Seminar A Internal review and Ombudsmen Seminar B Freedom of Information legislation
12	Seminar A Exam Revision Seminar B Exam revision

Tutorial Registration

This course will be taught in seminars with 5 seminar groups. Students MUST enrol in and attend a single seminar group.

Enrolment for seminars will begin prior to the commencement of semester at 7 am on Tuesday 19 February 2019. Enrolment will be conducted through the course WATTLE page. All students must enrol in a seminar group. You should only attend a seminar if you are enrolled in that seminar group. It is very important that you enrol early to secure your preferred seminar group if you have limited availability.

See university timetable for times and locations of the seminar groups: http://timetable.anu.edu.au/

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Online Quiz	0 %	05/04/2019	05/04/2019	1,2
Seminar participation	10 %	31/05/2019	05/06/2019	1,2,3,4,5
Mid-Semester Take-home exam	20 %	10/04/2019	06/05/2019	1,2,4,5
Final Exam	80 %	24/06/2019	28/06/2019	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Examination(s)

Please note, that the dates used in the Assessment Summary in relation to take home exams and final exams indicate approximate timeframes. Students should consult the ANU final examination timetable to confirm the date, time and venue of the exam.

Assessment Task 1

Online Quiz

Details of Task: There will be 15 multiple choice questions covering all course material up to the date the quiz goes online.

Nature of Task: This task is optional. No marks are allocated for this quiz but it provides a useful way for students to gauge their understanding of the course material.

Value or weighting: 0%

Release: Monday 1 April by no later than 5pm (on WATTLE).

Due date: Any time before 4pm on Friday 5 April (the end of week 6). The quiz will not be available after this date. No late submissions or extensions after the due date will be permitted.

Estimated return date: You will receive feedback on your answers as soon as you have completed the quiz on WATTLE.

Assessment Task 2

Seminar participation

Details of Task: The seminar participation component is optional and will be based on participation in seminars. The seminar participation is designed to develop learning objectives 1-5 with an emphasis on oral communication. This is also an essential skill you should develop throughout your law degree – being able to articulate the principles of law you are learning. Students will be expected to participate throughout semester and to sign up to be 'on-deck' for a particular week of classes at the time of seminar enrolment if they wish to be assessed for participation. Students who are ‘on-deck’ should be in a position to respond to questions from their seminar leader and to take a leading role in class discussion. However, this contribution is not intended to exclude the participation of others. All students will be encouraged to participate in each seminar. Those students who sign-up to be on-deck and will be assessed on both their general contribution together with their ‘on-deck’ contribution.

Nature of Task: Optional. Students who do not choose to sign up for seminar participation at the time of seminar enrolment will have their final exam will count for 80% of their grade.

Value or weighting: 10%.

Due date: Ongoing.

Estimated return Date: 5 June 2019 (via WATTLE)

Assessment Criteria:

• identify the relevance of contributions to themes developed in class and in assigned readings; 
• are accurate in their contributions; 
• are clear in their expression and make persuasive arguments; 
• contribute to fostering discussion; 
• encourage and respect others’ contributions; 
• make contributions of quality, rather than quantity

Assessment Task 3

Mid-Semester Take-home exam

Details of Task: The mid-semester take-home exam is designed to develop your capacity to engage carefully and critically with the cases and issues covered in the first half of the course. You will need to answer two questions with answers of 500 words per question, from a set of 4 questions. This will assist you in fulfilling the learning outcomes, with an emphasis on expected learning outcomes 1, 2, 4 and 5. The assessment task will also prepare students for ‘reflective/argumentative questions’ which will be included in the final examination (see below for further information). Well prepared students should expect to be able to complete the exam in 2-3 hours.

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Non-submission will result in a ‘0’ marks being awarded for this assessment item.

Value or weighting: 20%.

Release:  9 am on Tuesday, 9 April 2019 (on WATTLE). Date TBC.

Due date: 5 pm on Wednesday 10, April via Turnitin. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Word limit: 1000 words.

Estimated return date: Friday 10 May 2019 via Turnitin via Turnitin.

Assessment Criteria:

• make appropriate and accurate use of the reading materials covered in the class plan;
• structuring responses well and ensuring they are clearly and concisely expressed; 
• addressing the relevant issues raised in the questions and making persuasive arguments; and 
• demonstrating understanding of, and critical thinking on, material covered in the Class Plan and the discussion in class during weeks 1-6 of the course. 

Assessment Task 4

Final Exam

Details of task: The final exam is designed not only to test knowledge of administrative law’s rules and principles but also to enable students to demonstrate how these rules and principles may be applied to legal problems. The problem question (worth 60% of the total marks available for the exam) will require students to demonstrate sound skills of legal interpretation and reasoning. The exam will also contain two ‘reflective/argumentative questions’ (worth 40% of the total marks available). These questions will be designed to test for deep understanding, for example, by asking: how particular concepts or ideas studied in the course relate one to another, for an explanation or evaluation of conclusions reached in particular cases, or for an explanation or illustration of the importance of a particular concept/principle/case. The focus will not be on the reproduction of information.

Nature of task: Compulsory. Non-attendance will result in a ‘0’ for this assessment task. 

Timing: Please note, that the dates used in the Assessment Summary are indicative only. Students should consult the ANU final examination timetable to confirm the date, time and venue of the exam.

Duration: 2 hours writing time, and 30 minutes reading time. 

Permitted Materials: Any except ANU Library books and electronic devices.

Value or weighting: 80%. (Or 70% where a student has opted to complete the optional 10% participation task and counting and it is to their benefit to count their grade for that task.)

Estimated Return Date: After grades are released via the Services office.

Assessment Criteria: 

• make relevant and persuasive arguments; 
• make accurate use of relevant legal material; 
• are well structured and clearly and concisely expressed; 
• address the issues raised in the problem questions and reason persuasively by reference to relevant legal rules and principles; and 
• demonstrate understanding of, and critical thinking on, material covered in the course. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students