Coordinator:  Mr John Waugh    Telephone:  83447095    Office:   Room 0854    Email:   Click here to email John Waugh

 

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites

Prerequisites: Legal Method and Reasoning, Principles of Public Law

Generic Skills

Description

This subject continues the analysis of the laws establishing and regulating the Australian state that began in Principles of Public Law 730-112 and that will continue in Administrative Law 730-365. It is structured around the fundamental principles of Australian public law – constitutionalism, representative democracy, the separation of powers, federalism and individual rights – and uses them to examine more closely the institutions of Australian government – the courts, legislatures and the executive. (The examination of the executive branch and the principles of responsible government are taken further in Administrative Law.) Topics covered include:

• Introduction to Australian constitutions and to constitutional law
• Australian Federalism
  • Key features of the Australian federation
  • Inconsistency of Commonwealth and State law
  • The federal division of legislative power, including the scope of state legislative power and, in relation to federal legislative power, types of power, interpretation, characterisation, incidental power, selected heads of power for detailed study
  • The federal division of executive power
  • The federal division of judicial power including the concept of federal jurisdiction
  • Governmental and inter-governmental immunities: statutory interpretation and constitutional principles
  • Economic union: finance, trade and free movement in the Australian federal system
• Separation of powers
  • Legislature and Executive
  • Judicial power
• Representative Democracy
  • Composition, powers and procedures of Australian Parliaments and their constituent chambers
  • Political rights and freedoms
• Express rights and freedoms

Points: 12.5

Mode of delivery: Seminars

Contact hours: Two 2-hour seminars pw

Estimated Total Time Commitment: 144 Hours