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Enforcing Work Law (LAWS70197)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
October
Teaching staff:
John Howe (Subject Coordinator)
Tess Hardy
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | October |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject addresses the important topic of how compliance with work law (including minimum labour rights and standards, work health and safety regulation and equality law) can be achieved through a variety of actors and mechanisms. It also considers the challenge of enforcement of work law generally, and in the context of different business models, including supply chains, franchise networks and the gig economy. Although the primary focus of the subject will be on the Australian system of labour regulation, examples from other jurisdictions and international mechanisms will also be examined.
Indicative list of principal topics:
- The institutions and actors that regulate work, including minimum employment standards, occupational health and safety regulation, and equality law
- The role of regulated organisations, including unions and employer associations, in promoting and securing compliance with work law
- Information, detection and monitoring of work law
- The legal processes, mechanisms and sanctions relating to enforcement of work law by regulators, employees, unions and other actors
- The role of courts and tribunals in determining relief, remedies and sanctions in the context of work law
- Emerging issues and innovative approaches in regulating and enforcing labour standards and working conditions, including the protection of vulnerable workers (such as migrants, young workers and casual employees), and the enforcement in the context of different business models such as supply chains, franchise networks and the gig economy
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject should be able to:
- critically examine and analyse the different mechanisms of enforcement of work laws , including recent developments in this field of law and practice
- participate in debates around emerging and contemporary issues in employment law, such as the challenge of enforcement of labour standards in the context of different business models
- generate critical and creative ideas relating to the enforcement of work laws, and to critically evaluate existing legal theories, especially regulation theory, with creativity and autonomy
- research and assess existing and emerging legal issues relating to compliance with and enforcement of labour rights and standards in the workplace
Generic skills
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding compliance with and enforcement of work laws to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Be able to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of compliance with and enforcement of work laws.
Last updated: 8 November 2024