Unit Outline

The free market promotes competition between commercial enterprises, but there are times when companies act in a way that stifles competition. Competition Law regulates these forms of anti-competitive behaviour to ensure that consumers get the benefits of the free market. This Unit will provide you with an overview of the major themes of competition law. It will enable you to analyse and critique the restrictive trade practices provisions of the Competition and Consumer Law Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA), including access to essential services, horizontal and vertical agreements, abuse of market power, merger law and policy, and applicable remedies. It also considers the relationship between Competition Law and other areas of law, and introduces diverging practices in other jurisdictions. The Unit builds on students’ legal research, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

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


1	Identify the theoretical bases behind the competition law, and how this informs the concepts that underpin relevant legislative provisions.
2	Identify and explain the key elements of the restrictive trade practice provisions, and apply them to complex factual scenarios.
3	Critically analyse contentious areas of competition law, and assess their impact on various stakeholders and policy reform.
4	Communicate complex legislation and case law, using plain English writing.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	50 credit points of Intermediate Law core

Alterations as a result of student feedback

There have been no alterations for this offering.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Policy brief	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Research assignment	Refer to Assessment Description	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Final exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Policy brief

Task Description:

Policy brief

Task Length:

1200 words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Policy brief	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Research assignment

Task Description:

Research assignment

Task Length:

2500 words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Accurate identification of legal issues raised.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Knowledge and understanding of the law, including good use of relevant authorities
3	Evidence of critical thinking; and analysis formalities (writing style and grammar, footnoting, good use of available words).

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.