Handbook

This course introduces the fundamental principles and concepts of Australian environmental law and policy. It provides a framework for understanding the environmental issues which humans are faced with today for managing the impact of our activities on the environment and the implications of these issues for law making and policy. Within that framework this course will cover key areas of environmental law in New South Wales and at the federal level. The course will touch on a number of cross-cutting themes that influence current debate in relation to environmental law and policy. These themes are taken up in other courses provided in the Environmental Law specialisation.

Main Topics

• Global environmental issues and the development of international environmental law
• The common law and statute as sources of environmental law
• Commonwealth environmental law
• Environmental planning
• Development control
• Environmental assessment, enforcement and scrutiny
• Biodiversity conservation