Current Issues in Environmental Law and Policy
Undergraduate
TAS-LAW195 2025Course information for 2025 intake
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- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 16 Feb 2025
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Start dates
- 24 Feb 2025
- Price from
- $3,221
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Current Issues in Environmental Law and Policy
About this subject
Upon completion of this subject, the student should be able to:
- Describe and explain the division of powers between local, state, and Commonwealth governments, sources and principles of environmental law, the role of international law, and the efficacy of current laws in relation to the case studies and issues discussed in the subject.
- Describe, explain, and critically reflect on the range of social, political, ethical, economic and ecological factors that influence environmental law, policy, and decision-making in Australia, in the context of the issues, disputes and case studies discussed in the subject.
- Research and evaluate a contemporary environmental problem and applicable legal framework.
- Express yourself effectively orally and in writing, using a range of media.
- Introductory concepts
- Salmon farming in Tasmania - Parts 1, 2
- Protecting the Great Barrier Reef - Parts 1, 2
- Markets for Nature
- The Adani Carmichael Coal Mine
- The Future of Forestry
- Protecting Aboriginal Cultural Heritage: Law Reform
- Tourism Development in national parks and reserves
- Environmental protest and anti-protest laws
- Bushfires and the law
- Animal live export and protecting animal welfare through law
- The ten-year review of the EPBC Act
This subject explores some of Australia’s most challenging environmental controversies, and the legal and policy context in which they arise. It uses a range of topical issues and case studies to introduce students to the framework for national and international environmental regulation, encouraging them to see how laws operate and apply in specific situations.
Through these case studies, students will appreciate common themes and challenges in environmental governance, including:
• failures of enforcement and implementation
• problems of overlapping and overly complex regulation across local, state and national laws;
• challenges for implementing the principles of ecologically sustainable development through law;
• the role of international law in influencing domestic environmental law;
• the importance of public participation in environmental decision-making; and
• the role of markets, media, human rights and environmental ethics in environmental protection.
- Take-Home Exam (40%)
- Test (15%)
- Presentation and Annotated Bibliography (30%)
- Contribution to Class Discussion (15%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Teaching Arrangement: 1-hour interactive lecture weekly, 2-hour online seminar weekly
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
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Undergraduate
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