Students

LAWS5069 – Energy and Natural Resources Law

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Tina Soliman-Hunter
tina.solimanhunter@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp of LAWS units
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces students to energy and resources law and governance, a burgeoning and specialised field of  law.  The unit explores the legal response of nation states, international institutions  and other relevant global actors to regulate the transboundary aspects of energy and resources law. Students will cover the historical development of the law, the need for cooperation,and the effectiveness of sustainable development in energy and resources law. Several important regimes  are explored in addition to pivotal domestic and international case law and arbitration decisions.

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: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic functions and overarching  principles of energy and resources law including sustainable development and transboundary harm
  • ULO2: Recognise and recall the key institutions and actors involved in energy and resources law, understand their respective roles in establishing and maintaining governance
  • ULO3: Critically analyse, interpret, and assess the contribution of cases, treaties and institutions to the development of energy and resources law;
  • ULO4: Engage in debate surrounding contemporary and emergent issues in the discipline including cooperation between different legal regimes; linkage between law and scientific knowledge; and the challenges of the new global order;
  • ULO5: Identify intersections and interactions between energy and resources law and other areas of law.

General Assessment Information

 

All written assessments submitted electronically must be submitted through the link provided in iLearn. This unit will utilise Turnitin plagiarism detection software. Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment, as re-submissions will not be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error. The design, moderation and feedback of all assessments is in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Procedure (link provided under ‘Policies and Procedures’ below). Late Submission Policy A maximum penalty of five (5) percentage points of the total possible marks will be applied per day to late submissions, for up to a maximum of seven calendar days. Tasks that have not been submitted within the maximum number of additional late days will receive a mark of zero. This provision does not apply to online exams or other assessment with a time limit of less than 24 hours. Penalties for late submission will be applied consistently and equitably to all students enrolled in the unit. Where short-term, serious and unavoidable circumstances have affected their ability to submit an assessment task, a student must submit a formal application for Special Consideration as per the Special Consideration Policy. Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor. Where an application for Special Consideration is approved, and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes. Special Consideration Students should submit applications for Special Consideration electronically via the Service Connect portal, along with the supporting documentation. Before submitting their applications, students should refer to the Special Consideration Policy (link provided under ‘Policies and Procedures’ below).

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Legal writing on a contemporary issue 50% No 22/09/2025
Take home assessment 40% No 07/11/2025
Professional Skills 10% No ongoing, with marks posted at end of week13

Legal writing on a contemporary issue

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 22/09/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Students will prepare written material for an NGO, government or company as required

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic functions and overarching  principles of energy and resources law including sustainable development and transboundary harm
  • Recognise and recall the key institutions and actors involved in energy and resources law, understand their respective roles in establishing and maintaining governance
  • Critically analyse, interpret, and assess the contribution of cases, treaties and institutions to the development of energy and resources law;
  • Engage in debate surrounding contemporary and emergent issues in the discipline including cooperation between different legal regimes; linkage between law and scientific knowledge; and the challenges of the new global order;
  • Identify intersections and interactions between energy and resources law and other areas of law.

Take home assessment

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 07/11/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will submit responses to questions based on a hypothetical scenario

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic functions and overarching  principles of energy and resources law including sustainable development and transboundary harm
  • Recognise and recall the key institutions and actors involved in energy and resources law, understand their respective roles in establishing and maintaining governance
  • Critically analyse, interpret, and assess the contribution of cases, treaties and institutions to the development of energy and resources law;
  • Engage in debate surrounding contemporary and emergent issues in the discipline including cooperation between different legal regimes; linkage between law and scientific knowledge; and the challenges of the new global order;
  • Identify intersections and interactions between energy and resources law and other areas of law.

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: ongoing, with marks posted at end of week13
Weighting: 10%

 

Students will engage in classroom activities including mooting, presentations or demonstrations, structured discussion and problem solving, doctrinal analysis, simulated client consultations, and collaborative legal research. Through these activities students will develop skills in oral advocacy, legal analysis, critical reasoning, teamwork and team leadership, and/or strategic problem-solving. These activities are designed to strengthen students' ability to communicate legal concepts verbally and engage professionally within a supportive learning environment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic functions and overarching  principles of energy and resources law including sustainable development and transboundary harm
  • Recognise and recall the key institutions and actors involved in energy and resources law, understand their respective roles in establishing and maintaining governance
  • Critically analyse, interpret, and assess the contribution of cases, treaties and institutions to the development of energy and resources law;
  • Engage in debate surrounding contemporary and emergent issues in the discipline including cooperation between different legal regimes; linkage between law and scientific knowledge; and the challenges of the new global order;
  • Identify intersections and interactions between energy and resources law and other areas of law.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery will be comprise a mix of notes, lectures, and readings organised into modules. all necessary materials will be in iLearn

Unit Schedule

Topics covered will include: 

  1. introduction and overview
  2. internaitonal instruments
  3. introduction to energy resources 
  4. access to energy resources - licencing 
  5. legal framework for offshore energy systems 
  6. decommissioning offshore energy assets
  7. natural gas and its role in Australia's energy transition
  8. Carbon Capture and storage, and its role in the transition to net zero
  9. low carbon energy - renewables and nuclear 
  10. low carbon energy - hydrogen
  11. critical minerals 
  12. indigenous issues in energy and resources law 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook