Course Coordinator:Ashley Pearson (apearson@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course examines the legal means by which people may hold the executive arm of government accountable for actions which affect them by challenging the legality of actions, the merits of decisions, the fairness of processes, or by seeking access to information held by government. You will study the procedures and grounds for judicial review of governmental action, tribunal-based merits review of governmental decisions, and the operation of freedom of information legislation. Administrative Law encompasses and impacts upon many different areas of law, and therefore an understanding of this area of law is critical for all areas of legal practice.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Online Learning Materials | 1.5hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On-Campus Tutorial | 2hrs | Week 2 | 10 times |
| Online | |||
| Learning materials – Online Learning Materials | 1.5hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online Tutorial | 2hrs | Week 2 | 10 times |
The course covers:
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Analyse facts to identify legal issues within complex administrative law scenarios. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
| 2 | Explain the relevant laws, processes and concepts of administrative laws to resolve a legal issue. | Knowledgeable |
| 3 | Utilise critical thinking, analysis, and legal reasoning to apply knowledge effectively, generating appropriate and practical responses to complex problems and ethical issues. |
Creative and critical thinker Empowered Ethical |
| 4 | Demonstrate effective, persuasive, and contextually appropriate written and oral communication. | Empowered |
| 5 | Develop and demonstrate effective presentation skills, including proper referencing and citation techniques, to communicate legal information accurately and professionally. | Empowered |
| 6 | Research, critically evaluate, and integrate authoritative sources in support of well-substantiated legal arguments. | Creative and critical thinker |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
((LAW100 or LAW101) and (LAW105 or LAW103)) or (LAW301 and enrolled in any Law Program) or (LAW207 or LAW301)
Not applicable
LAW401
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
To assist you in undertaking Task 1, you will develop relevant knowledge and obtain feedback through participation in your Week 2 and 3 tutorials.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Portfolio | Individual | 50% | Prescribed for individual elements on Canvas, but no more than 2,500 words in total. |
Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 50% | 3 Hours |
Exam Period | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Administrative Law Portfolio | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | Create a portfolio that includes letters of legal advice, court documents, research briefs, video court appearances, etc. in response to an ongoing simulated situation that unfolds throughout the trimester. This is an Aligned Assessment Point. |
|||||||||||||||
| Product: | Portfolio | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Portfolio submission. Individual elements due throughout the trimester as outlined on Canvas. |
|||||||||||||||
| Criteria: |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
|||||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 2:Invigilated Final Examination | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | In this task, you will demonstrate your knowledge and application of Administrative Law in response to unseen exam questions. |
|||||||||||||||
| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | This assessment task is an online, open-book and invigilated exam. You will be required to attend a live Zoom session throughout the duration of the exam and need access to a working computer, a stable internet connection, and a webcam. |
|||||||||||||||
| Criteria: |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Information literacy |
|||||||||||||||
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Robin Creyke,Matthew Groves,John McMillan,Mark Smyth | 2024 | Control of Government Action | 7th Edition | LexisNexis |
This course meets the necessary content requirements for Administrative Law under the Prescribed Areas of Knowledge of Schedule 1 of the LACC Uniform Admission Rules 2015 (the ‘Priestley 11’). This course contains an Aligned Assessment Point.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: