Competition and Consumer Law (BLAW30004)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Competition and Consumer Law will explore the statutory regulation of anti-competitive practices under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). The subject will also examine the key components of Australia's national consumer protection regime (the Australian Consumer Law). While it canvasses the policy objectives and challenges of competition and consumer protection regulation, the subject is applied in its orientation.
Topics will include:
- Consumer protection policy;
- Misleading conduct;
- Unconscionable conduct;
- Unfair contract terms;
- Consumer guarantees;
- Competition law policy;
- Key economic concepts;
- Market power and the regulation of its misuse;
- Horizontal restraints (cartels);
- Vertical restraints (exclusive dealing and resale price maintenance);
- Merger regulation under competition law; and
- Enforcement and remedies.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Appreciate the relationship between the disciplines of law and economics in the context of competition and consumer law;
- Explain the policy objectives in legislating to control anti-competitive practices;
- Explain the policy objectives that underpin consumer protection legislation;
- Examine different forms of business behaviour with a view to identifying competition law and consumer protection law issues;
- Undertake statutory interpretation;
- Analyse and apply case law; and
- Construct and communicate a written legal argument based on understanding the facts, identifying the issues, analysing the applicable law and applying the law to the facts.
Generic skills
Students studying Competition and Consumer Law will develop the following generic skills:
- The capacity for close reading and analysis of a range of sources;
- The capacity to communicate, both orally and in writing;
- The capacity to participate as a member of a team;
- The capacity to plan and manage time; and
- The capacity to solve problems, including through the collection and evaluation of information.
In addition, on completion of the subject, students should have developed the following skills specific to the discipline of law:
- Capacity to solve competition and consumer law problems by collecting and evaluating information from a variety of sources;
- Communicate solutions to competition and consumer law problems both orally and in writing;
- Ability to work in groups to solve competition and consumer law problems; and
- Critically analyse materials in a classroom setting.
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
It is strongly recommended that students have completed at least 100 points of undergraduate study before enrolling in this subject. The subject level is an indicator as to the difficulty of the subject and expected workload.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Assessment
Additional details
- 2,000 word answer to one complex hypothetical problem to be completed individually or in student pairs (30%);
- Final two-hour open-book examination (70%).
The due date of the above assessment will be available to students via the LMS subject page.
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Arlen Duke Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours (one 2-hour seminar and one 1-hour tutorial per week) Total time commitment 136 hours Teaching period 23 July 2018 to 21 October 2018 Last self-enrol date 3 August 2018 Census date 31 August 2018 Last date to withdraw without fail 21 September 2018 Assessment period ends 16 November 2018 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
136 hours
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Breadth Track Law - Business and Competition and Consumer Law - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
Last updated: 9 April 2025