Students

LAWS5028 – Competition and Consumer Law

2020 – Session 1, Intensive attendance, North Ryde

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Baskaran Balasingham
baskaran.balasingham@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
6 First Walk, Room 517
Wednesdays 4-5 pm
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(80cp in LAW or LAWS units) or (130cp including (BUSL250 and BUSL301) or BUSL251 or ACCG2051)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
LAWS8020
Unit description Unit description

The unit introduces students to the principal areas of law in Australia which aim to preserve competition in the economy and to ensure consumer protection. Attention will focus on the competition law provisions in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and their theoretical underpinnings. Topics include cartels; anticompetitive agreements and concerted practices; misuse of market power; mergers; warranties and guarantees; misleading or deceptive conduct; unconscionable conduct and unfair contract terms; remedies and enforcement of both consumer and competition law.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Understand the economic concepts used in competition law to articulate the effects of anticompetitive practices.
  • ULO2: Consolidate the development of competition law in Australia and various parts of the world and examine the objective(s) of competition law in the economy.
  • ULO3: Consider the powers of the courts, regulatory bodies, and private individuals to distinguish between different enforcement methods in competition and consumer law.
  • ULO4: Apply the Competition and Consumer Act, case law, and soft law to solve problems in competition and consumer law.

Assessment Tasks

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.

Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students

General Assessment Information

Macquarie Law School Policy on Assessments

Applications for a Special Consideration Policy are made electronically via ask.mq.edu.au and should be accompanied by supporting documentation. Students should refer to the Special Consideration Policy for complete details of the policy and a description of the supporting documentation required.

Word limits will be strictly applied and work above the word limit will not be marked.

All assessments in the unit are to be submitted electronically. Plagiarism detection software is used in this unit.

 

Moderation Policy

Detailed marking rubrics will be made available on the iLearn unit page. All Fail papers are double marked.

Delivery and Resources

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.

Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

Delivery

Students are expected to listen to weekly lectures, which are around 2 hrs long. Lectures begin in Week 1 and are available on Echo 360 via the iLearn unit page. 

The OCS will be held on 18 and 19 April. Students are expected to have prepared for the OCS by having listened to the lecture recordings and having solved the weekly problem questions. During the OCS students are expected to complete short quizzes (these quizzes amount to 25% of the final mark for this unit). 

 

Resources

Mandatory texts 

  • For Consumer Law: Adrian Coorey, Australian Consumer Law (LexisNexis, 2015)

  • For Competition Law: Arlen Duke, Corones' Competition Law in Australia (7th edn, 2018);

A full reading list for each weekly topic be posted on the iLearn unit page. 

Unit Schedule

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

The unit schedule will be made available on the iLearn unit page prior to Week 1.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
24/02/2020 assessment dates and mandatory text updated