CQUniversity Unit Profile
LAWS12061 Administrative Law
Administrative Law
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The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

LAWS12061 Administrative Law examines the legal rules, principles and procedures applied by the courts and administrative tribunals to review and check the exercise of executive power and the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making, especially insofar as they affect the rights, interests and legitimate expectations of individuals and the public. It also looks at the constitutional, statutory, common law and equitable remedies available against invalid executive action and decision-making. Topics you will study in this unit include: the organisation and structure of the administration; administrative law theory; common law and statutory avenues of judicial review at Commonwealth and State level; grounds of judicial review; remedies; crown immunity; the Administrative Appeals Tribunal; statutory review; and Freedom of Information. This unit meets the LPAB requirements for administrative law.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisites: LAWS11057 and LAWS11059

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2020

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Online Quiz(zes)
Weighting: 10%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 40%
3. Take Home Exam
Weighting: 50%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Identify, discuss, and explain the legal rules, principles and procedures applied by the courts and administrative tribunals to review and check the exercise of executive power and the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  2. Review and critique the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  3. Critically evaluate and explain the available constitutional, statutory, common law and equitable remedies available against invalid executive action and decision-making
  4. Research appropriate legal principles, statutes, and case law, and cite and apply those to the analysis of administrative law disputes.


Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Take Home Exam - 50%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Take Home Exam - 50%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary

5th edition (2019)
Authors: Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth
LexisNexis Butterworths
Chatswood Chatswood , NSW , Australia
ISBN: 9780409348170
Binding: Paperback

Additional Textbook Information

If you prefer to study with a paper copy, they are available at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code). eBooks are available at the publisher's website.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th ed

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Manjo Oyson Unit Coordinator
m.oyson@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 13 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

Administrative Law -- Theory, History and Context

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 1

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 20 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

The Framework for Judicial Review

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 2

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 27 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

Merits Review and Administrative Tribunals

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 3

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 03 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Foundation Concepts of Judicial Review

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 7

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 10 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Unauthorised Decision-Making

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 8

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 17 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 24 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Statutory Purpose and Relevant Considerations

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 10

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 31 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Natural Justice

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 11

Events and Submissions/Topic

Written Assessment (Case-Type) Due: Week 7 Monday (31 Aug 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Begin Date: 07 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Law, Fact and Evidence

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 13

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 14 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Unreasonableness, Irrationality and Proportionality

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 15

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 21 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Judicial Review Remedies

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 17

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 28 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Access to Information

Chapter

Robin Creyke, Matthew Groves, John McMillan and Mark Smyth, Control of Government Action: Text, Cases and Commentary (LexisNexis, Butterworths, 5th ed, 2019), Ch. 19

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 05 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Review/Revision

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 12 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

TAKE HOME PAPER Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (16 Oct 2020) 9:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Begin Date: 19 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Online Quiz(zes)

Assessment Title
QUIZZES

Task Description

For this individual assessment, there will be a weekly online multiple-choice quiz throughout the Term corresponding to the respective topics of weeks 2 to 11, comprising a total of ten (10) weekly quizzes. Each weekly quiz involves one multiple-choice question (case-type or conceptual). Students are given two attempts to arrive at the correct answer.

Each weekly online quiz, which comprises 1% of the final grade, shall be opened and made visible to students on Monday of each week at about 11 a.m. (Qld time). The first quiz corresponding to the week 2 topic shall be opened and made visible on the Monday of week 2 (20 July). The second quiz corresponding to the week 3 topic shall then be opened and made visible on 27 July (Monday), et seq.

Students have seven calendar days (or until Monday at 11 am, QLD time) to answer each weekly online quiz. After the lapse of the seven-day period, students shall lose the opportunity to answer the quiz for that particular week. Given that each quiz only comprises one percent of the grade and that students have one week to do a quiz, there will be no extension whatsoever to do a quiz nor can a special quiz be arranged under any circumstance. The answer to a quiz shall be made visible immediately at the end of the seven-day period to do a quiz. There will be no online quiz during the mid-term break.


Number of Quizzes


Frequency of Quizzes

Weekly


Assessment Due Date

Students have seven calendar days (or until Monday at 11 am, QLD time of each week) to answer each weekly online quiz.


Return Date to Students

The answer to a quiz shall be made visible immediately at the end of the seven-day period to do a quiz.


Weighting
10%

Assessment Criteria

Each answer shall be assessed as to whether it is correct or incorrect according to: the correct identification of the legal issues and rules/legal principles, correct analysis and application of the rules and legal principles to the legal issues and the facts, and the conclusion. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify, discuss, and explain the legal rules, principles and procedures applied by the courts and administrative tribunals to review and check the exercise of executive power and the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Review and critique the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Critically evaluate and explain the available constitutional, statutory, common law and equitable remedies available against invalid executive action and decision-making
  • Research appropriate legal principles, statutes, and case law, and cite and apply those to the analysis of administrative law disputes.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Ethical practice

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment (Case-Type)

Task Description

This individual written assessment involves answering three case-type questions that will cover any of the topics up to week 5. The questions will be released on 24 August (Monday) at 6 pm (Qld time) and answers are due on 31 August (Monday) at 11:45 pm (Qld time). The total word count for all the answers, including footnotes, should not exceed 1,500 words. There is no allowance beyond the word-count limit. That part of the answer that exceeds the 1,500-word count limit will not be marked.


Assessment Due Date

Week 7 Monday (31 Aug 2020) 11:45 pm AEST

The answers must be saved in MS Word (not as a PDF) in the following format: LastName_FirstName.docx.


Return Date to Students

Week 10 Monday (21 Sept 2020)

The marks will be released by 8 PM of 21 September.


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

This assessment will be assessed according to the following criteria: correct and thorough identification of the legal issue(s) (10%) and rules/legal principles (30%); correct and thorough analysis and application of the rules and legal principles to the legal issue(s) and the facts (40%); well thought-out conclusion (10%); and quality of the language usage and observance of proper structure, format, and instructions (10%). A detailed marking rubric is available on the Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify, discuss, and explain the legal rules, principles and procedures applied by the courts and administrative tribunals to review and check the exercise of executive power and the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Review and critique the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Critically evaluate and explain the available constitutional, statutory, common law and equitable remedies available against invalid executive action and decision-making
  • Research appropriate legal principles, statutes, and case law, and cite and apply those to the analysis of administrative law disputes.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy

3 Take Home Exam

Assessment Title
TAKE HOME PAPER

Task Description

This individual written assessment involves answering four case-type questions. The questions will be released on 15 October (Thursday) at 9 AM (Qld time). Students have 36 hours or up to 16 October (Friday) at 9 PM (Qld time) to submit their answers on Moodle.


Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Friday (16 Oct 2020) 9:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Weighting
50%

Assessment Criteria

This assessment will be assessed according to the following criteria: correct and thorough identification of the legal issue(s) (10%) and rules/legal principles (30%); correct and thorough analysis and application of the rules and legal principles to the legal issue(s) and the facts (40%); well thought-out conclusion (10%); and quality of the language usage and observance of proper structure, format, and instructions (10%). A detailed marking rubric is available on the Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Answers must be submitted on Moodle within 36 hours.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify, discuss, and explain the legal rules, principles and procedures applied by the courts and administrative tribunals to review and check the exercise of executive power and the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Review and critique the legality of administrative (executive) action and decision-making
  • Critically evaluate and explain the available constitutional, statutory, common law and equitable remedies available against invalid executive action and decision-making
  • Research appropriate legal principles, statutes, and case law, and cite and apply those to the analysis of administrative law disputes.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?