Cybercrime Law (LAWS90306)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
April
Teaching staff:
Jessica Shurson (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
Overview
| Availability(Quotas apply) | April |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Cybercrime law covers both the substantive law governing crimes committed using a computer and the procedures through which investigators can collect digital evidence. Cybercrime offenses include computer misuse crimes and traditional crimes that are facilitated using a computer, such as fraud, theft, and possession of child abuse materials.
The globalised nature of the internet raises numerous jurisdictional issues concerning which state should investigate and prosecute cybercrime as well as issues for evidence gathering in the digital environment.
This subject primarily focuses on Australian law and international cooperative instruments, particularly the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which is aimed at controlling cybercrime and facilitating digital investigations across borders. This subject also considers comparative laws in the UK, EU, and USA, especially within the context of international cooperation on policing cybercrime and digital investigations.
Indicative list of principal topics:
- Overview of current international legal frameworks for harmonising cybercrime offences and procedures for digital investigations, principally the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime
- The Australian legislative framework for regulating cybercrime
- Computer-integrity offences, including illegal access, illegal interception, and illegal devices
- Computer-facilitated offences, including fraud, forgery & theft; intellectual property offences; indecent materials and child abuse
- Communications offences and online safety
- Digital investigations and investigatory powers
- Challenges for digital investigators, including computer, network, and device forensics and encryption
- International cooperation in coordinating prosecutions, extradition, and evidence gathering
- New international cooperative agreements for cross-border digital investigations, including the Australia-US Agreement under the CLOUD Act, the EU e-Evidence Regulation, and the Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject should be able to:
- Explain and apply the law governing different types of cybercrime offences.
- Critically assess the methods of international cooperation aimed at controlling cybercrime.
- Analyse how modern communications technologies challenge traditional evidence-gathering techniques in criminal investigations and the use of evidence in court.
- Recognise and examine the challenges associated with regulating cybercrime, including the jurisdictional issues.
- Conduct independent research, exercise critical judgement, and write cogently and persuasively.
Generic skills
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas, and to critically evaluate existing legal theories, principles and concepts;
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding legal issues to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences;
- Be able to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the legal field;
- Be able to critically examine, analyse, interpret and assess the effectiveness of the current and proposed laws;
- Have a sophisticated appreciation of the factors and processes driving the regulation; and
- Have the ability to apply learnings to diverse practical settings.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are taught at an advanced graduate level and requires a thorough background in common law. While efforts are made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, teaching and assessment activities are designed to give an advanced and integrated understanding of the discipline of law for legal practitioners, learners and researchers.
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: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Class Participation | During the teaching period | 10% |
Written Assignment
| Due on the final day of the teaching period. | 20% |
Reseach Paper
| 25 June 2025 | 70% |
| Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- April
Principal coordinator Jessica Shurson Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 34 Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 2 April 2025 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to Canvas LMS to check on the pre-class readings and preparatory learning activities before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 30 April 2025 to 6 May 2025 Last self-enrol date 7 April 2025 Census date 2 May 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 13 June 2025 Assessment period ends 18 July 2025 April contact information
Teaching staff:
Jessica Shurson (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
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.
Additional delivery details
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment, subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Specialist Certificate in Law (Digital Law and Technological Innovation) Course Master of Laws Course Graduate Diploma in Laws Course Juris Doctor - Links to additional information
- 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 subject coordinator approval is required, or for further information about Community Access Program study, please contact us
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025