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Course Outline

PUB718 Environmental Health Policy, Planning and Law

Course Coordinator:Zoe Murray (zmurray@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Public Health

2027Session 4

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 specialised course covers key principles and mechanisms of administering environmental health law, including authorisations, powers of authorised officers, and elements of an offence. You will develop skills in interpreting legislation, monitoring, and risk-based enforcement for public health and environmental protection. Examples include Queensland's Public Health Act 2005, Environmental Protection Act 1994, planning laws, and local regulations. Focus areas include scientific/risk-based management strategies, impact assessment of development applications, mass events, and disaster risk reduction.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Online – 11 hours of structured asynchronous online learning materials and an optional 1 hour online drop in consultation session. 12hrs Week 1 6 times

Course Topics

  • Environmental Health governance, policy development cycle and regulation
  • Regulatory principles and processes (including statutory powers and procedural fairness)
  • Environmental Health law: interpretation, and regulatory tools
  • Principles of good decision making and record keeping
  • Evidence collection, investigation plans and constructing interview questions
  • Interpersonal skills and conflict management
  • Sustainability, environmental protection and impact assessment
  • Environmental Health Management Systems: water and air quality; noise and waste management, vector control, mass events, and disaster management

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

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 Interpret and apply environmental health law (public health legislation, environmental protection, planning and local government legislation). Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
2 Apply legal procedures relevant to the administration of environmental health legislation and the gathering of evidence. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Ethical
3 Identify non compliances with Environmental Health Law and recommend strategies for managing levels of risk posed using the relevant legal frameworks and enforcement tools. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Ethical
4 Investigate likely public and environmental health impacts of developments, environmental incidents, events or disasters and recommend environmental health protections. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Ethical

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

Not applicable

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

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

Early formative feedback will be provided for both tasks. Further details will be provided on Canvas.

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 Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece Individual 60% 
3500 words (+/- 10%)
 Week 4 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece Individual 40% 
2500 words (+/- 10%)
 Week 6 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Environmental health incident investigation report
Goal: 
To demonstrate knowledge and capacity to fulfil the environmental health professional’s role in investigating environmental health incidents.
Product: Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
You will be provided with an environmental health incident scenario for which you are to complete the following: develop an interview plan, conduct and record an interview, and provide an investigation report that demonstrates your ability to interpret, investigate, apply law and regulatory principles and environmental health legislation.
Further information will be provided on Canvas.
This investigation report should be included in your Professional Environmental Health e-portfolio.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Accuracy with which environmental health law is interpreted and applied
 1
2 
Accuracy with which legal procedures are interpreted and applied, including the gathering of evidence
 2
3 
Accuracy of non-compliances and legal provisions from relevant legislation
 3
4 
Accuracy of risk classification
 3
5 
Feasibility of recommended management strategies
 4
6 
Quality of written communication, including mechanics of spelling, grammar, punctuation and adherence to genre
 1 2 3 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Environmental health impact development application
Goal: 
To demonstrate ability to assess the environmental health impacts of a mock development application and make recommendations in line with relevant legislation.
Product: Artefact - Technical and Scientific, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
You will prepare an impact assessment report based on a mock development application. It will include the findings of your research and analysis of the likely environmental health impacts of the development from a One Health perspective, options for managing these, and your recommendations. Your assessment of the development application should consider potential air and water pollutants, environmental noise, waste, contaminated land and other relevant environmental management issues including the following: 
a) Identification of sources of potential pollutants associated with the proposal, their characteristics and potential impacts. 
b) An outline the legislative tools that apply to the management of the identified environmental protection issues under the environmental protection and sustainable planning legislation. 
c) Justified recommendations consistent with principles of environmental protection and sustainable development.
Further information will be provided on Canvas.
This impact assessment report should be included in your Professional Environmental Health  e-portfolio.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Accuracy with which environmental health law is interpreted and applied
 1
2 
Accuracy with which legal procedures are interpreted and applied, including the gathering of evidence
 2
3 
Accuracy of identifying non-compliances and legal provisions from relevant legislation
 3
4 
Degree of innovation when synthesising evidence and recommending appropriate risk-based strategies
 4
5 
Feasibility and degree of innovation of recommended management strategies
 4
6 
Quality of written communication, including mechanics of spelling, grammar, punctuation and adherence to genre
 1 2 3 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, 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

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Students will be required to have a reliable Internet connection, a computer, a microphone headset and a webcam for Technology Enabled Learning and Teaching Activities.

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: 

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