Course Outline

LAW417 Employment Law

Course Coordinator:Quinn Edwards (qedwards@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Trimester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC 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.

What is this course about?

Description

This course deals with the law concerning employment. You will consider the very broad range of laws which, together with the awards and agreements made under those laws, provide the terms and conditions under which people engage in paid work for others. You will examine both the law that governs individual employment relationships as well as the complex system of industry awards and enterprise agreements which apply to many people. You will also consider occupational health and safety law, workers compensation, unfair work practices and termination of employment.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online Learning Materials 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On-Campus Tutorial 2hrs Week 2 10 times
Online
Learning materials – Online Learning Materials 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online Tutorial 2hrs Week 2 10 times

Course Topics

- The purpose and sources of employment law

- Who is an employee?

- Special types of employment

- Employment relationships

- Employment contracts

- Enterprise Agreements, Awards and Minimum Standards

- Discrimination and Victimisation [adult themes]

- Termination 

[Adult themes across all topics]

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

400 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

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 Research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy matters. Knowledgeable
Empowered
2 Apply critical thinking and judgment to generate appropriate responses to legal issues. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
3 Communicate effectively to different audiences in a required format. Knowledgeable
Empowered
4 Evaluate and critique the law with reference to broader perspectives. Creative and critical thinker

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

(LAW100 or LAW101) and (LAW103 or LAW105) and(LAW202 or LAW106) and (LAW204 or LAW208)

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

LAW306

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

In week 2 and 3 of this course, you will discuss and review your oral presentation (Task 1) in your workshop.

Assessment tasks

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 Oral Individual 30%
15 minutes
Week 4 In Class
All 2 Written Piece Individual 35%
1,500 words
Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Written Piece Individual 35%
2000 words
Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Debate Appearance
Goal:
To apply your legal research skills to demonstrate your understanding of a key topic in employment law and your ability to analyse and critique the relationship between the law and wider social issues.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format:
An oral presentation.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Research, evaluate and synthesis
1
2
Application of critical thinking and judgement to generate appropriate responses to legal issues
2
3
Effective communication and presentation in the required format
3
4
Evaluate and critique the law with reference to broader perspectives
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 2:Memorandum of Advice
Goal:
To apply your legal research and writing skills to demonstrate your understanding of a key topic in employment law and your ability to analyse and critique the law utilising a range of primary and secondary sources.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Memorandum of advice of 1,500 words (not counting footnotes and bibliography) referenced according to the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Research, evaluation and synthesis
1
2
Application of critical thinking and judgement to generate appropriate responses to legal issues
2
3
Effective written communication and presentation in the required format
3
4
Evaluate and critique the law with reference to broader perspectives
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Annotated Employment Agreement
Goal:
To demonstrate a thorough understanding of Employment Law through practical application of the law to an employment scenario.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
This is an individual assessment.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Correct identification of the relevant legal issues within a factual scenario
1
2
Appropriate and accurate application of correct principles of law derived from statute and/or case law to the factual scenarios
2
3
Appropriate conclusion of appropriate advice for the fictitious ‘client’ or other identified candidate
3 4
4
Annotate with explanation of terms included in legal document.
4
5
Problem solving and critical thinking to apply the law.
2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy

Directed study hours

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.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

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.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

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 Andrew Stewart 2021 Stewart's Guide to Employment Law 7th Federation Press

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

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.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

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

Assessment: Submission penalties

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

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

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.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: