The law relating to management of natural resources and for environmental protection has grown to become an established and important area of professional legal practice over the last twenty years. Energy law is an important branch of such practice. It governs the ownership, use, development and control of energy resources.

The Sustainable Energy Law course surveys the rapidly evolving field of renewable and clean energy law at both domestic and international levels. 

The course provides students with the opportunity to examine, explore and critique existing legal solutions to issues arising in energy markets, with the aim of enhancing the role of the law in addressing energy and climate change objectives.

This course examines the legal framework applying to renewable energy sources, not in isolation but in dynamic interrelationship with policies toward conventional fossil sources of energy.

Energy law is evolving in order to address the challenge of climate change. The importance of effective law and policy to encourage cleaner energy development has been underlined both by the most recent scientific warnings about the need to implement timely responses to global warming.

The course will provide opportunities for students to develop their skills in the following areas:

1. concentrated legal research and writing to a postgraduate standard, via the written component of assessment (relying upon skills in finding, analysing and using relevant legal and policy resources relating to sustainable energy);
2. Specialised writing skills relating to law reform briefings and proposals, via the specialised component of assessment;
3.  Improved skills in cross-disciplinary analysis of the law
4.  Improved knowledge of comparative approaches to legal analysis. 
5. Improved skills in assessment and analysis of effectiveness of legislation and policies; 
6. Improved capacity to apply case study research as a basis for development of law reform proposals, including knowledge of the limits and benefits of this approach;
7. An opportunity to improve capacity to make persuasive oral argument and presentations to a group, leading to greater capacity to present clearly, effectively and quickly information relating to an aspect of sustainable energy law. 

 Knowledge based outcomes

1. An understanding of the key concepts, principles and issues relating to development of sustainable energy;
2. Overview of regulatory framework for various types of renewable energy sources in Australia;
3. Knowledge of the particular challenges and issues arising in the specialised application of the regulatory framework to particular energy sources in Australia including ocean energy, solar thermal energy, solar PV, wind, urban wind, biomass, biogas, and questions of energy efficiency;
4. Ability to apply the existing, broader framework of environmental and planning law to energy projects; and
5. Greater knowledge of the relevance of applying resource economics and regulatory economics to the regulation of the energy sector.

1. Panel discussion participation and presentation (20%)

2. Law Reform Briefing (40%)

3. Research Essay  (40%)

Final Means of Assessmet approved six weeks prior to the commencement of course.

24 to 26 in-class hours (intensive delivery), plus approximately 40-48 hours reading and approximately 25-30 hours to complete assessment requirements.

This course is open to LLM students, students in specialised Masters programs in Law and Juris Doctor students.

Success in the course will be assisted by knowledge of environmental law, planning law, administrative law, climate law and international law.

LAWS8189 Fundamentals of Environmental Law or a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Success in the course will be assisted by knowledge of environmental law, planning law, administrative law, climate law and international law.

TBA

As prescribed in the Course Outline which will be available 6 weeks prior to the course commencement.

The Course Outline will be available 6 weeks prior to the course commencement.

students would need to access the internet to ocmplete this course