Consumer Law (BLAW20003)

Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Winter Term
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This subject examines the principal components of Australian consumer law. Seminars 1 and 2 survey the relevant law and consider the purpose and policy issues associated with protecting consumers. Seminars 3-18 then cover the protections created by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and what consumers can do to take advantage of those protections. Seminars 19 and 20 cover the enforcement of those protections and the remedies available to consumers in cases of non-compliance. Consumer Law has a practical orientation, designed to assist consumers to know, understand and pursue their rights.

Topics include:

  • Consumer protection in Australia and introduction to the ACL
  • Purpose and economics of consumer protection
  • Key concepts used in the ACL
  • Misleading conduct: nature, purpose and scope
  • Misleading conduct: applications
  • Misleading conduct: advertising
  • False representations
  • Unconscionable conduct
  • Unfair contract terms
  • Unfair practices (1)
  • Unfair Practices (2)
  • Scams
  • Consumer guarantees: goods
  • Consumer guarantees: services
  • Consumer guarantees: remedies
  • Consumer transactions
  • Product safety and Information
  • Manufacturers’ liability
  • Enforcement
  • Consumer remedies

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:



  • Explain the policy objectives that underpin consumer protection legislation
  • Examine different forms of business behaviour with a view to identifying consumer protection law issues
  • Undertake statutory interpretation
  • Analyse and apply case law
  • 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

Successfully completing this subject will develop the following generic skills:

  • The capacity for close reading and analysis of a range of sources
  • The capacity to communicate, orally and in writing
  • The capacity to plan and manage time
  • The capacity to solve problems, including through the collection and evaluation of information.

Discipline specific skills

Successfully completing Consumer Law, will also develop the following skills specific to the discipline of law; the ability and capacity to

  • Analyse and solve consumer law problems by collecting and evaluating information from a variety of sources
  • Communicate solutions to consumer law problems orally and in writing
  • Critically analyse complex materials.

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Recommended background knowledge

It is recommended that students have completed 100 points of undergraduate study before enrolling in this subject. 

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

DescriptionTimingPercentage

Class attendance and Participation

Throughout the teaching period10%

Multiple choice online quiz 1

  • 60 minutes
End of Week 120%

Multiple choice online quiz 2

  • 60 minutes
End of Week 220%

Open-book examination

  • 2 hours
1 Weeks after the end of teaching50%

Additional details

The due date of the above assessment will be available to students via the LMS subject page.

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Dates & times

  • Winter Term
    Principal coordinatorPhilip Clarke
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours
    Total time commitment136 hours
    Pre teaching requirementsPlease refer to the Reading Guide on the LMS subject page for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences.
    Teaching period24 June 2024 to 5 July 2024
    Last self-enrol date26 June 2024
    Census date 5 July 2024
    Last date to withdraw without fail12 July 2024
    Assessment period ends21 July 2024

    Winter Term contact information

    Philip Clarke, Coordinator

    Contact Stop 1

Time commitment details

136 hours

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Further information

Last updated: 9 April 2025