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  3. Consumer Protection Law

Consumer Protection Law (BLAW20003)

Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
June - On Campus
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Consumer Protection Law has a practical orientation, designed to empower you as a consumer, advisor and graduate working in business or a profession. By becoming become familiar with the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), you will learn how to protect your interests and pursue the remedies open to you should your rights as a consumer be infringed. This familiarity will also enable you to assist others experiencing consumer related problems. It will well position you to advise suppliers and manufacturers regarding their obligations, thereby helping them to avoid the bad publicity, damages and penalties and other adverse consequences that can result from non-compliance with the law.

When studying Consumer Protection Law, you can expect to consider and learn to apply the law relating to such topics as misleading or false representation, unconscionable conduct and coercion, unfair contract terms, unfair practices and scams, rights and remedies arising from the supply and manufacturer of unsatisfactory goods or services, liability for dangerous goods and residential tenancy.

Indicative list of principal topics:

  • Consumer protection in Australia and introduction to the ACL
  • Purpose and economics of consumer protection
  • Key concepts used in the ACL
  • Misleading conduct
  • False representations
  • Unconscionable conduct
  • Unfair contract terms and practices
  • Scams
  • Consumer guarantees and transactions
  • Product Safety, Information and manufacturers’ liability
  • Enforcement and consumer remedies
  • Residential tenancy
  • Consumer credit

Intended learning outcomes

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

  • Describe the consumer protection landscape in Australia.
  • Read, interpret and explain statutory provisions, especially those relating to consumer protection.
  • Articulate the rights of consumers and the corresponding obligations of suppliers and manufacturers.
  • Apply the key areas of Australian consumer law to factual scenarios.
  • Communicate about and interpret legal sources, construct arguments, and advise on consumer law issues in a clear and structured manner.

Generic skills

  • Legal reasoning and critical analysis - Ability to interpret legislation and case law, evaluate competing arguments, and apply doctrine to complex factual scenarios.
  • Effective oral and written communication - Clarity, precision, and structure in presenting legal ideas—both in-class discussion and in written assessments.
  • Independent thinking and problem-solving - Capacity to approach legal problems creatively and logically, drawing on relevant legal principles and frameworks.
  • Collaboration and peer learning - Skills in group discussion, respectful disagreement, and co-construction of knowledge through tutorial participation.
  • Ethical and professional awareness - An understanding of the responsibilities and decision-making challenges faced by company officers and legal professionals.

Last updated: 4 December 2025