In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
Evidence and Proof examines the statutory and common law principles of the law of evidence and procedure and meets the LPAB requirements for ‘evidence’. This unit explores the concept of a fair trial; proof and adversarialism; evidentiary issues to be addressed prior to trial; evidentiary principles and rules and their exceptions; the bases for privilege; judicial warnings, comment and directions; mandatory and discretionary exclusions; and the limitations on evidence.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: 48 credit point of Law 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.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Self-reflection
Subject content review
Continue to refine content and tutorials for second iteration of the subject in 2026.
Feedback from Students in live tutorials in 2025
Real world examples
Continue to refine and include concurrent examples to exemplify unit content in real world practice.
Feedback from Self-reflection and student comments in live tutorials in 2025
Teaching forensic analysis
Podcasts and materials on thinking forensically - how to consider questions of proof, channels of admission and thinking like an advocate
Feedback from Self-reflection and student comments in live tutorials in 2025
Emphasis on the importance of correct legal method
Creation of material available from Week 1 on how a detailed opinion on evidence should be structured. This will emphasise the need for students to retain what they learned about legal research and legal method in their Year 1 studies. It will (hopefully) provide an outline on where their basic legal skills need to be by no later than Week 6 of the subject.
- Synthesise and evaluate the relevant legal principles of evidence law as they apply to problem fact scenarios.
- Conduct research, critically analyse sources and compare evidence law from multiple sources.
- Critically evaluate and reflect upon ethical issues which may arise in the context of applying evidence law in practice.
- Critically reflect upon cross cultural perspectives which may arise in the context of the implementation of evidence law in practice, including issues relating to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Examination - 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 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||