School: Business and Law

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Competition and Consumer Protection Law
  • Unit Code

    LAW3460
  • Year

    2024
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Toby Matthew NISBET

Description

This unit examines the Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Laws. It focusses on critical Federal and State legislation, i.e. the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), the Fair Trading Act 2010 (WA), and Sale of Goods Act 1895 (WA) and associated case laws. It reviews consumers rights and guarantees as provided for by the legislation. This unit provides students with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the theoretical aspects of Competition and Consumer Protection legislation, frameworks and policies. Besides, it gives students a practical grasp of competition and consumer laws as practised in Australia.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

This unit may also be offered in Winter or Summer School

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed either LAW1100 or LAW1116.

Equivalent Rule

This unit is equivalent to LAW3221

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain the background, policy objectives and operation of key legislations and provisions related to trade practices, competition and consumer protection.
  2. Analyse position of parties in relation to competition and consumer law issues and explore the various statutory remedies and penalties available.
  3. Apply the laws, policies and principles to solve problems simulated from real and hypothetical scenarios.
  4. Evaluate and critically analyse claims and make reasoned choices among alternatives and provide written and oral advice on a range of consumer and competition law issues.
  5. Collaborate effectively in teams to construct and communicate a written legal argument through identification of issues, analysis and application of the law.

Unit Content

  1. Constitutional considerations and the basis for the development of consumer legislation.
  2. Selected provisions in the Sale of Goods Act.
  3. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australia's national competition policy.
  4. General consumer protections: misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct and unfair contract terms.
  5. Specific consumer protections: specific unfair sales techniques, consumer guarantees for goods and services and consumer agreements.
  6. Product liability and safety regulation.
  7. Enforcement, remedies and defences.
  8. Anti-competitive practices and the regulations of mergers and acquisitions.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseOnline Short Answer Review10%
AssignmentOnline Assignment 20%
PresentationPresentation20%
ExaminationFinal Examination50%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseOnline Short Answer Review10%
AssignmentOnline Assignment20%
PresentationPresentation20%
ExaminationFinal Examination50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

LAW3460|1|1

School: Business and Law

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Competition and Consumer Protection Law
  • Unit Code

    LAW3460
  • Year

    2024
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Toby NISBET

Description

This unit examines the Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Laws. It focusses on critical Federal and State legislation, i.e. the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), the Fair Trading Act 2010 (WA) and associated case law. It reviews consumers rights and guarantees as provided for by the legislation. This unit provides students with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the theoretical aspects of Competition and Consumer Protection legislation, frameworks and policies. The unit gives students a practical grasp of competition and consumer laws as practised in Australia.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

This unit may also be offered in Winter or Summer School

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed either LAW1100 or LAW1116.

Equivalent Rule

This unit is equivalent to LAW3221

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse the principles of competition and consumer law.
  2. Apply rules from legislation and cases to solve complex competition and consumer law problems.
  3. Communicate legal analysis in a business law context to various stakeholders.

Unit Content

  1. Constitutional considerations and the basis for the development of consumer legislation.
  2. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australia's national competition policy.
  3. General consumer protections: misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct and unfair contract terms.
  4. Specific consumer protections: specific unfair sales techniques, consumer guarantees for goods and services and consumer agreements.
  5. Product liability and safety regulation.
  6. Enforcement, remedies and defences.
  7. Anti-competitive practices and the regulations of mergers and acquisitions.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 2 hour lectureNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 213 x 1 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentProblem Solving Assignment30%
PresentationPresentation20%
ExaminationFinal Examination50%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
AssignmentProblem Solving Assignment30%
PresentationPresentation20%
ExaminationFinal Examination50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

LAW3460|2|2