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  3. Consumer Protection Law

Consumer Protection Law (BLAW20003)

Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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June
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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 may 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
  • Residential tenancy
  • Consumer credit

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: 18 January 2025