Students

LAWS5005 – Age and the Law

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ben Hightower
ben.hightower@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(130cp in Law or LAWS units) or (130cp including LAWS260 or LAWS2060)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines the intersection of age and law, in particular, the ways in which the law protects, empowers and also negatively impacts on the lives of children and older people. This course equips students to understand the national and international legal frameworks impacting on children and young people and the elderly and the strengths and limitations of these frameworks. This unit is relevant to students interested in human rights and social justice, as well as students who want to gain an advanced understanding of the socio-legal context surrounding children and young people and/or the elderly. 

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 awareness and understanding of the legal issues affecting children and older people in various contexts.
  • ULO2: Identify the elements of a rights-based approach to legal issues that affect children and older people.
  • ULO3: Engage in critical analysis of the way in which laws impact on children and older people.
  • ULO4: Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas affecting children and older people.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on diverse communities of children and older people, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

General Assessment Information

All assessments submitted electronically must be submitted through the links provided in iLearn. This unit will utilise Turnitin similarity 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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Professional Skills 20% No Ongoing (assessed in tutorials, weeks 2-13) Individual No Observed
Research Essay 50% No 6 April 2026, 11:55pm Individual No Open AI
Law reform campaign 30% No 8 June 2025, 11:55pm Individual No Open AI

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Ongoing (assessed in tutorials, weeks 2-13)
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Observed

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 awareness and understanding of the legal issues affecting children and older people in various contexts.
  • Identify the elements of a rights-based approach to legal issues that affect children and older people.
  • Engage in critical analysis of the way in which laws impact on children and older people.
  • Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas affecting children and older people.
  • Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on diverse communities of children and older people, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 6 April 2026, 11:55pm
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open

A research essay on a select topic related to child/elder law. Full details of the topic and further instructions will be available on ilearn
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the legal issues affecting children and older people in various contexts.
  • Identify the elements of a rights-based approach to legal issues that affect children and older people.
  • Engage in critical analysis of the way in which laws impact on children and older people.
  • Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas affecting children and older people.
  • Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on diverse communities of children and older people, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Law reform campaign

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 8 June 2025, 11:55pm
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open

Students will be required to develop a campaign outline on an issue related to law and children or older people. Topic choices and details of the assessment will be outlined on iLearn
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the legal issues affecting children and older people in various contexts.
  • Identify the elements of a rights-based approach to legal issues that affect children and older people.
  • Engage in critical analysis of the way in which laws impact on children and older people.
  • Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas affecting children and older people.
  • Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on diverse communities of children and older people, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

Lectures: There is 1 lecture per week of approximately 2 hours.

Tutorials: Tutorials are weekly and commence in Week 1 of session 2. Tutorials are not recorded. 

This unit is worth 10 credit points, which equates to 150 hours of work. Therefore, students should expect to commit an average of 10 hours per week to this unit, including all scheduled and unscheduled activities and preparing and executing the assessment tasks.

Resources

There is no prescribed textbook for this course. Weekly resources will be available through Leganto or directly via the libaray database. The Reading List will be published through iLearn.

Students require access to a computer, internet with decent speed and a secure/reliable server. The iLearn page contains all Unit requirements and a weekly schedule for teaching, readings and tutorials. Information about all assessment tasks is also available on iLearn.

Unit Schedule

WEEK

  

LECTURE TOPIC

    

Week 1

  

Children and the Law; Constructions of Childhood

    

Week 2

  

The Development of the International Children’s Rights Framework  

    

Week 3

  

Indigenous Children and the Law

    

Week 4

  

Protecting Children from Abuse and Neglect 

    

Week 5

  

Children, Migration, Conflict and COVID

    

Week 6

  

Juvenile ‘Justice’ and Criminal Responsibility

    

Week 7

  

Children: E-Safety, Agency and Privacy  

    

 Week 8

  

Children’s Participation in Law and Policy Development; Legal Representation of Children 

    

Week 9

  

Legal Capacity and the Medical Treatment of Children

    

Week 10

  

Does the ‘Law’ Uphold Children and Young People’s Rights?  

    

Week 11

  

Overview of Elder Law

Elderly People: Decision Making, Capacity and Discrimination

    

Week 12

  

Elderly People: Financial Abuse and Aged Care 

    

 

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 2026.01R of the Handbook