LAW5347 - Consumer policy and regulation - 2019

Consumer protection legislation is well established in Australia, but moves towards self-regulation in the private sector, and corporatisation and privatisation in the public sector have underlined the importance of establishing and monitoring corporate accountability and compliance with consumer protection obligations. This unit will examine state and federal legislative consumer protection mechanisms; the development, operation and monitoring of self-regulatory and industry-based mechanisms such as licence and contract conditions, Codes of Practice, Customer Charters and Standards; the role of industry regulators; dispute resolution regimes such as industry-based Ombudsman schemes; and compliance, enforcement and monitoring mechanisms. There will also be consideration of the influence of, and importance of achieving compliance with, global consumer protection obligations, together with specific issues raised by new information technologies.c

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

• apply knowledge and understanding of the regulation of consumer protection in Australia with creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice
• investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories in relation to the consumer protection
• conduct research in consumer protection law based on knowledge of appropriate research principles and methods; and
• use cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate at an abstract level complex ideas and concepts relevant to the regulation of consumer protection.

Research assignment (5,250 words): 70%

Take-home examination: 30%

24 contact hours per semester (either intensive, semi-intensive or semester long, depending on the Faculty resources, timetabling and requirements)