Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
LAWS104 Foundations of Law and Legal Research , LAWS105 Contract Law
Teaching organisation
4 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent.Unit rationale, description and aim
This elective unit allows students to develop specialist knowledge and building on knowledge and skills developed in the compulsory units.
Employment Law explores the relationships between employers and employees in Australian workplaces. The focus is on understanding the relevant common law and statutory entitlements and/or obligations that any one party may have in different workplace contexts and how to choose between the different enforcement mechanisms available. Topics include discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, underpayment of wages, disciplinary procedures, termination of employment and strike action.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Describe the ways in which Australian employment laws protect the rights and dignity of Australian workers |
| LO2 | Develop and communicate reasoned opinions and advices related to employment matters. |
| LO3 | Critically analyse recent developments in the area of employment law |
Content
Topics will include:
- Overview of Australian Employment Law
- The Employment Contract
- Sources of Entitlements
- Conditions of Employment
- Express and Implied Duties
- Equal Opportunity
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Dispute Resolution in Employment Relationships
- Termination of Employment: Remedies under the Fair Work Act
- Termination of Employment: Common Law Remedies
- Industrial Action
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Mode: Lectures, tutorials, electronic consultation, library tasks and presentations or Online lectures and activities.
Duration: 3 hours per week over 12 weeks or equivalent. Students are expected to spend 150 hours in total for this unit.
This level two elective unit allows students to demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law building on knowledge developed in the compulsory law units.
Our strategy is to encourage students to creatively engage with unit content and to apply knowledge , skills and understanding acquired in compulsory law units to a specialist area of law.
The unit is designed to be delivered in intensive, weekly mode or online mode. We have taken a multimodal learning approach to provide accessibility and flexibility to our students and a student-focused approach that increases depth of learning and engagement through actively utilising Canvas.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy is designed to assess knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law, and to apply knowledge developed in the compulsory law units to a specialist area of law.
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes listed.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
First Assignment - Problem Based Question or Research Essay which requires students to demonstrate ability to research the assigned topic and critically evaluate the relevant area of laws | 50% | LO2, LO3 |
Second Assignment - Problem Based Question or Research Essay which requires students to demonstrate ability to research the assigned topic and critically evaluate the relevant area of laws | 50% | LO1, LO2 |
Representative texts and references
Stewart, Andrew, Stewart's Guide to Employment Law (Federation Press, 5th ed, 2015)