LAWS40047 - Introduction To Law In Australia

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit provides students with an introduction to law in Australia, but with a special emphasis on pre-colonisation Indigenous Australan legal systems, and how these systems have been impacted by Western legal systems. The unit gives students a basic introduction to various types of law in contemporary Australian society, including criminal, civil and administrative law. In line with the unit's Indigenous Australian focus, there is also an emphasis on Native Title and property law, and the ways in which these may affect Indigenous Australians.

Details

Level Non-award
Unit Level Not Applicable
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from 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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Non-award 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 30%
2. Written Assessment 50%
3. Online Quiz(zes) 20%

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

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

No previous feedback available

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.

Source: Student feedback
Feedback:
 Positive feedback on Moodle content

Recommendation:
 Maintain currency of the teaching material online and be inclusive of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers and writers.

Action Taken:
 Teaching material is reviewed regularly for currency and relevance. First Nations researchers and authors material is given priority for inclusion.
Source: Staff Feedback
Feedback:
 Need to provide more resources to compensate for the cancellation of the TEP Residential School.

Recommendation:
 Set up weekly Zoom sessions that include guest speakers, discussion and relevant academic content.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain how the concept of law was created and enforced in traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait societies in comparison to the post-colonisation Western system of law.
  2. Critically analyse the various legal systems in Australia, and especially how they apply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
  3. Apply research and note taking skills.

Not applicable.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Online Quiz(zes) • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Self Management • • •
2 - Communication • •
3 - Information Literacy • • •
4 - Information Technology Competence • • •
5 - Problem Solving • • •
6 - Critical Thinking • • •
7 - Cross-Cultural Competence • • •
8 - Ethical Practice • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9