The objective of the course is to provide students with an overall understanding of the law of equity with special emphasis on fiduciary obligations, trusts, equitable assignment of property and equitable remedies. The course will consider the history of equity, basic principles which dominate its jurisprudence and the relevance of equity today; the nature of fiduciary obligations, recognised categories of fiduciaries and the extension of these categories in recent times, breach of fiduciary obligations, defences and remedies for the breach of fiduciary obligations; the requirements for express trusts, the liability of a third party to a breach of trust or fiduciary duty, and the remedies for breach of trust and fiduciary duty, including tracing. The course then shifts its focus to equity more generally by considering the equitable rules for assignment of property and the remedies of specific performance and injunctions.
This course meets the following requirements of the Law Admissions Consultative Committee Prescribed Academic Areas of Knowledge for Equity:
- elements of trust law
- various kinds of trusts
- the rights, duties and powers of trustees
- the consequences of breach of trust
- fiduciary obligations
- assignments in equity
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Analyse, explain, and apply to a factual problem the law relating to fiduciary obligations, trusts (including express, resulting and constructive trusts), equitable remedies, tracing and equitable assignment.
- Analyse and predict how unresolved or ambiguous questions of equitable doctrine could be resolved by the courts.
- Evaluate the fundamental legal, social, cultural, and/or ethical themes underlying and connecting the specific doctrines covered, including the relationship of equity to other parts of the law.
- Work independently and/or collaboratively, as required, to develop solutions to equity and trusts law problems and present findings orally and/or in writing to a range of audiences.
Other Information
This course assumes a knowledge of contract, property and legal history. The subject reinforces and deepens understanding of specific doctrines referred to in other courses such as Contracts, Property, Corporations Law and Family Law.
Indicative Assessment
- The proposed means of assessment for this course will provide students with at least two pieces of assessment, including one piece during the semester. More information about the means of assessment, including the relationship between the assessment and the learning outcomes of the course, will be available in the Class Summary and on the course WATTLE page. (100) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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Workload
- Classes offered in non-standard sessions will be taught semi-intensively with compulsory contact hours of approximately 36 hours of face to face teaching. The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion of this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
- Classes offered during semester periods are expected to have three contact hours per week. Students are generally expected to devote at least 10 hours overall per week to this course. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion of this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
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Inherent Requirements
Not applicable.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course. Alternatively, this information will be published in the Program course list when finalised.
Preliminary Reading
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course. Alternatively, this information will be published in the Program course list when finalised.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 34
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5280 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6360 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8747 | 21 Jul 2025 | 28 Jul 2025 | 31 Aug 2025 | 24 Oct 2025 | In Person | N/A |