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Unit of study_
LAWS6071: Labour Law
2025 unit information
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the principles of labour law. It is designed specifically for MLLR students who do not have a law degree or for any students with a law degree who have not recently undertaken an undergraduate labour law course. The goal of the unit is to equip students with the fundamental principles of labour law that they will need to undertake more advanced labour law units within the MLLR and LLM Degrees. It provides an introduction to the contract of employment and the relevant principles governing the employment relationship, including termination of employment. It then introduces students to the workplace relations framework including collective bargaining and industrial conflict; the modern role of awards and statutory regulation of wages and conditions. The unit is compulsory for students enrolled in the MLLR. However, the requirement to take this unit may be waived upon application to the Program Director if the student can demonstrate proficiency in the unit objectives gained through completing a recent undergraduate law unit in labour law or work experience. Credit will not be granted for WORK6116 Employment and the Law and completion of this unit will not be sufficient to obtain an exemption from this MLLR compulsory unit. This unit is compulsory for all postgraduate students entering the Master of Administrative Law and Policy, Master of Business Law, Master of Environmental Law, Master of Environmental Science and Law, Master of Health Law, and Master of Labour Law and Relations, as well as the Graduate Diplomas offered in these programs, who do not hold a law degree or equivalent from a common law jurisdiction. Law graduates from a non-common law jurisdiction enrolled in other courses are strongly recommended, or required, to undertake this unit to fulfill the pre-requisite or co-requisite requirements of other units. The unit has been designed to equip students with the necessary legal skills and legal knowledge to competently apply themselves in their chosen area of law. Instruction will cover the legislative process; the judiciary and specialist tribunals; precedent; court hierarchies; legal reasoning; constitutional law; administrative law; contracts; and torts. Some elements of the unit will be tailored in accordance with the requirements of the particular specialist programs. Students must either have completed or be concurrently enrolled in this unit prior to commencing other law units of study. This unit is not available to students who have acquired a law degree from Australia or another common law jurisdiction. Refer to the Sydney Law School timetable - https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS3446 or LAWS5146 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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MLLR students must either have a law degree or completed or be concurrently enrolled in LAWS6252 Legal Reasoning and the Common Law System (core) as well as this unit before undertaking the labour law elective units |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. understand the system of workplace relations in Australia, and how this system has developed in recent years
- LO2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the legal responsibilities of employers and employees at the workplace
- LO3. critically analyse judgments of courts and tribunals on workplace matters
- LO4. demonstrate a working knowledge of the framework and operation of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
- LO5. think critically about the substance of labour law and the context in which labour law operates, including consideration of the effectiveness of legislative strategies for the regulation of work
- LO6. demonstrate interpretation and application of relevant legal principles to fact scenarios
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1a 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
