This course will consider legal and policy developments in media and communications law.  Principal topics include:

Media Regulation

• Australian Communications and Media Authority
• The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth)
• Cross-Media Ownership
• Foreign Ownership
• The Australian Press Council
• The Australian Journalists' Association

Defamation Law

• Freedom of Speech
• Choice of Law and Jurisdiction
• Imputations
• Defences
• Remedies

Contempt

• Reporting of Court Proceedings
• Reporting of Parliamentary Proceedings

Classification and Censorship

• Blasphemy and Religious Vilification
• Obscenity
• Hate Speech
• Sedition and Terrorism

Confidentiality and Privacy

• Confidential Information
• Privacy Law
• The Do Not Call Register
• Anti-Spam Legislation

This course considers the legal regulation of media ownership and communications content.  It is expected that students will on the completion of the course have:

• An awareness of the regulation of the media industry;
• An understanding of the major areas of law regulating media content;
• An ability to solve legal problems involving media and communications law;
• An awareness of problems which are developing in relation to particular fields of the media industry, and emerging technologies; and
• A critical approach to evaluating new developments in respect of media and communications law; and
• An appreciation of theoretical concerns about freedom of speech, the operation of democratic institutions, censorship, and privacy.

It is expected the course would have two pieces of assessment:

*  an oral presentation with an accompanying written summary (approx 1,500 words); and

*  a research assignment (4,000 - 6,000 words)

Students must rely on the Approved Assessment which will be posted to the course homepage on the ANU Law website, prior to the commencement of the course.

Students are expected to read the prescribed texts, prior to the teaching period.

The course will be taught in intensive mode, over a period of four days. It will involve 26 hours of direct contact.

Students are expected to prepare an oral presentation to deliver during the intensive teaching period.

Students will need to devote time to the preparation and execution of the research assignment, after the intensive teaching period.

Click here for 2009 Graduate Law Timetable

The course does not have any particular pre-requisites. It is intended to appeal to both legal professionals, as well as policy-makers and government officials, journalists, public relations practitioners, and other members of the media industry.

LAWS8153 Introduction to Legal Reasoning and Research (non-lawyers) and LAWS8568 Fundamentals of Government and Commercial Law (non-lawyers).

Beattie, Scott and Elizabeth Beal, Connect + Converge: Australian Media and Communications Law, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2007.

and

The preliminary reading required for this course will be available from the course home page at least one week prior to the commencement of the course.

It is helpful if students can have access to WebCT, and familiarity with the delivery of powerpoint slides.