77972 Parenting and the Law

6cp

Requisite(s): 77885c Legal Process and Legal Research OR 60 credit points of completed study in C04148 Master of Law and Legal Practice

These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.

Postgraduate
Subject coordinator: G Monahan

This postgraduate subject explores and examines the laws affecting parental responsibility and parental decision making in Australia, in particular following the breakdown of the parents' personal relationship.

Apart from an examination of the international influences and the constitutional framework underpinning parenting law in Australia, the subject also considers the concept of parental responsibility (and the use of parenting plans and parenting orders to facilitate various outcomes including equal time or substantial time parenting), the 'best interests of the child' principle (and the relevant statutory considerations including presumptions relating to parentage and equal shared parental responsibility), conception issues, adoption, child support and the separate representation of children in legal proceedings. It also combines a theoretical and vocational approach to the study of these relevant issues.

The subject not only benefits students interested in these issues and developments, but also those students considering a career, or enhancing their career, in legal practice or the delivery of family law related legal services. And it provides a valuable update on recent legislative and judicial developments. While the subject shares some similarities with the undergraduate subject 76516 Family Law, it concentrates on those topics relevant to parenting disputes, and has a greater emphasis on research.

Assessment: Assignment (30 per cent), essay (50 per cent), final quiz (20 per cent).

Fee information

2007 contribution for post-2004 Commonwealth-supported students: $1,041.62
2007 amount for undergraduate domestic fee-paying students: $2,472.00
Subject EFTSL: 0.125
Note: The above fees are applicable in 2007 for Commonwealth-supported students who commenced after 2004 and domestic fee-paying undergraduate students only. Pre-2005 Commonwealth-supported students should consult the Student contribution charges for Commonwealth supported students webpage.
Not all students are eligible for Commonwealth supported places, and not all subjects are available to Commonwealth supported students. Domestic fee-paying students and international students should refer to the Fees webpage.

Access conditions

Note: The requisite information presented in this subject description covers only academic requisites. Full details of all enforced rules, covering both academic and admission requisites, are available at Access conditions and My Student Admin.