Environmental Sustainability Law

Course aim

• to examine a wide range of legislative measures at both the Commonwealth and State levels of government that are intended to contribute to the goal of environmental sustainability
• to understand the impact of environmental laws on corporations
• to understand the role of courts and tribunals in relation to the effective implementation of these legislative measures
• to explore the legal aspects of several critical sustainability issues (for example, climate change, water scarcity, genetically modified organisms)

Course content

The concept of environmental sustainability and its reflection in specific legal principles (precaution, inter and intra-generational equity, polluter pays); the key components of environmental sustainability law; responsibility for the development and implementation of environmental sustainability law under the Commonwealth Constitution; introduction to tools and mechanisms for the achievement of environmental sustainability (regulatory mechanisms; economic instruments; and voluntary measures); examination of key legislation relevant to he delivery of environmental sustainability (pollution controls and waste management; land-use controls and environmental impact assessment; natural resource management; and biodiversity protection); the role of courts and tribunals in relation to the implementation of environmental sustainability legislation; case-studies of legal aspects of emerging environmental sustainability issues – for example, climate change, water scarcity, genetically modified organisms.

Textbook(s)

., A book of readings will be provided, ., ., .

Prerequisite(s)

Students must have completed more than 72 units of study.

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Early participation feedback, Group assignment, Research paper

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4C)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.