Overview
Property and Commercial Law will introduce you to the law of personal property and commercial law in Australia. Based on authentic problems and case studies you will learn the distinction between personal and real property, the interaction between interests in personal property and the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth). You will also explore agency, sale of goods, bailment, e-commerce, data protection, security and privacy regulation, and native title.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: 24 credit points of laws units including LAWS11057.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Examine the characteristics of, and the differences between, real property and personal property in Australian law
- Explain and apply Australian legislation and/or common law to advise on property and commercial law issues
- Examine property law issues relevant to social innovation (such as personal property and technology).
- Apply data protection and privacy regulations when collecting, generating, storing, accessing, using or sharing data and information.
This unit is necessary for accounting accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 50% | ||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
Australian Commercial Law
35th edition (2025)
Authors: Clive Turner and John Trone
Thomson Reuters
Pyrmont Pyrmont , NSW , Australia
ISBN: 9780455248929 (e-book)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom access: microphone and webcam required
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th ed
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.lococo2@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Topic 1: Consumer Credit & Guarantees
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapters 8 & 10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 2: Personal Property and the PPSR
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapters 1 & 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 3: Real Property & Native Title
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter E16 (Available in the complimentary eBook version of the text)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 4: Intellectual Property Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 16
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 5: Insurance Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 6: Business Organisations
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapters 12, E13 & E14 (Available in the complimentary eBook version of the text).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Break Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 7: Agency & Bailment
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapters 2 & 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 8: E-Commerce & Privacy Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 15
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 9: Sale of Goods
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 10: Consumer Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 11: Competition Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 12: Bankruptcy Law
Chapter
Clive Turner and John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 35th ed, 2025) - Chapter 17
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Practical Assessment
Assessment 1: Commercial Law Negotiation Practicum
Assessment 1 is a multi-phase task that requires students to prepare for, execute, and evaluate a live commercial law negotiation.
Students are required to submit the following suite of professional documents and media:
Negotiation Preparation Checklist
Negotiation Run Sheet
Recorded Live Negotiation
Settlement Agreement (Agreed or proposed)
Post-Negotiation Debrief Form
Students will negotiate in pairs but will complete and submit their work independently.
To facilitate the collaborative requirements of Assessment 1, students must nominate their negotiation partner via the Moodle Sign-up Sheet by week 4. This process ensures all participants are paired for the live recording and allows for administrative intervention where necessary.
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be
considered a breach of academic integrity. Al may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback, and refinement. Students should critically evaluate and modify the Al suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding (level 3).
Due to the collaborative nature of this assessment, no extensions will be granted under any circumstances. Furthermore, the standard university grace period is strictly excluded for this task.
Full details of the assessment task will be provided on the Moodle site for this unit after the commencement of the term.
Week 6 Friday (17 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Friday (8 May 2026)
Marks and feedback will be provided via Moodle.
This assessment evaluates your capacity to:
· Identify & Reframe Issues;
· Analyse Statutory Frameworks;.
· Formulate Supportable Conclusions;
· Demonstrate Professional Communication;
· Conduct Strategic Critical Thinking;
· Maintain Technical & Ethical Rigour; and
· Reflect on Procedural Choices.
The rubric and marking criteria will be provided on Moodle after the commencement of the term.
- Examine the characteristics of, and the differences between, real property and personal property in Australian law
- Explain and apply Australian legislation and/or common law to advise on property and commercial law issues
- Examine property law issues relevant to social innovation (such as personal property and technology).
- Apply data protection and privacy regulations when collecting, generating, storing, accessing, using or sharing data and information.
2 Practical Assessment
Assessment 2: Practical Workplace Tasks
Assessment 2 is a series of practical activities designed to simulate real-world legal and commercial law scenarios. This individual assessment requires both written documentation and a digital recording.
The assessment comprises five distinct tasks that require you to adopt various professional roles, such as those of a Lawyer, Manager, and Advisor.
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be
considered a breach of academic integrity. Al may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback, and refinement. Students should critically evaluate and modify the Al suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding (level 3).
Extensions of more than 14 days are not available for this assessment. Due to the need to provide prompt feedback to students and the content of feedback provided, submissions received after the assessment has been returned to students cannot be accepted for academic integrity reasons. Students seeking extensions beyond this timeframe will be required to undertake a different version of the assessment task.
Full details of the assessment task will be provided on the Moodle site for this unit after the commencement of the term.
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Marks and feedback will be provided via Moodle after release of grades.
This assessment evaluates your capacity to:
· Identify & Reframe Issues;
· Analyse Statutory Frameworks;.
· Formulate Supportable Conclusions;
· Demonstrate Professional Communication;
· Conduct Strategic Critical Thinking;
· Maintain Technical & Ethical Rigour; and
· Reflect on Procedural Choices.
The rubric and marking criteria will be provided on Moodle after the commencement of the term.
- Examine the characteristics of, and the differences between, real property and personal property in Australian law
- Explain and apply Australian legislation and/or common law to advise on property and commercial law issues
- Examine property law issues relevant to social innovation (such as personal property and technology).
- Apply data protection and privacy regulations when collecting, generating, storing, accessing, using or sharing data and information.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
