Master of Public Administration

Administrative Challenges in Practice is a capstone subject in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration, bringing together expert contributors from the Faculty of Arts, Law and Business and Economics. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject brings together learning from the three discipline core subjects, the three professional core subjects, and The World of Administration in a subject that addresses the management and administrative challenges that confront managers in a global world.

The subject provides a unique opportunity to bring together theory and practice through the selection of a specific case/s which highlight the interdisciplinary nature of administrative and management challenges at the local, regional, and global level. Syndicate groups work together prior to the subject and during it, to address the challenges of a specific case of administrative/managerial action drawing together their learning from previous subjects and professional expertise.

Managing Effectively is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject is one of three professionally-oriented subjects and it builds on the World of Public Administration and the core discipline subjects to develop the professional skills of participants with a particular focus on managing effectively.

In this subject we identify and examine the key skills and capabilities leaders need to support the delivery of outcomes.

The subject provides students with an advanced understanding of the key leadership and management practices required to deliver outcomes effectively. These include, for example: leadership and followership, negotiation and conflict management, coaching and providing feedback, delegation, and working collaboratively. The subject situates these practices in their social, theoretical, historical and disciplinary contexts in order to provide a solid foundation for their application and use. Its focus is on enabling leaders to develop their understanding, appreciation and capability across these areas. Managing Effectively draws from a variety of disciplines and focuses attention on the application of such knowledge in practice.

Managing Public Finances is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject provides the theoretical and analytical tools for understanding the nature and practice of finance in relation to public administration and management, drawing on the disciplines of economics and finance. Key ideas that will be explored in this subject include budgets, performance, reporting and decision–making and how these relate to broader notions of governing in complex institutional and policy environments.

The Nature of Governing is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject sets out the foundations of governing for public outcomes and examines how government and governing institutions have evolved over time and in various settings to meet political and policy challenges, and the implications of this for public managers.

This subject provides students with the theoretical concepts and analytical tools to understand the nature and practice of governing and government in a globalizing world. Its focus is on the relationship between political institutions, actors, ideas and public administration. It draws mainly from the disciplines of political science and international relations, and from related disciplines such as sociology and political economy. Its core objective is to help participants to understand how the political environment (comprised of institutions, ideas and actors) and the practice of politics, constrains and facilitates the work of public managers in delivering public policy. This political environment is simultaneously local, national, international and global and includes elections and appointment procedures, interconnected policymaking institutions, multiple accountability mechanisms, delegation and independent agencies, interest groups, civil society and public opinion. The subject explores the great diversity of these political processes, actors and institutions and assesses how the practice of politics shapes the work of public managers across a range of practical and topical policy domains. The international dimension of this political environment has become ever more important and particular attention will be paid to the influence of international negotiations and agreements, international organizations, global standard setting bodies, international policy learning and diffusion, transnational private sector and civil society actors on the work that public managers do.

The Rule of Law is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government in Australia or internationally. A foundational aspect of public administration is the legal environment within which public actors operate and understanding this is central to the activity of public administration and management. The subject identifies, explains and examines the role of law in providing legitimacy and authority for government, as a framework within which government must be conducted and as one of two principal systemic avenues through which the public accountability of government is secured (with political accountability). The subject matter is organised under the rubric of the rule of law, as a central organising legal value, which underpins a range of relevant legal rules and standards which shape the way in which those that work within and with government operate. The rule of law is claimed to characterise Australian government, has been described as an ‘assumption’ of the Australian Constitution and is widely accepted internationally as a prerequisite for the effective operation of a constitutional democratic state.

While the outer parameters of the rule of law are contested, there is no dispute about the core requirement that all parts of government, without exception, must act according to law. In Australia, the relevant ‘law’ for this purpose is found in the Australian Constitutions, legislation enacted or authorised by a Parliament and the common law, all of which are informed by the long history of common law constitutionalism. A broadly comparable framework exists in all other countries. The subject will introduce students to the principal rules, standards and practices involved in governing according to law. Rather than enmeshing students in detailed legal technicalities, it will examine the requirements of the rule of law though a selected range of contemporary issues that demonstrate the rule of law in practice and the pressures to which it may be subject. It will also consider the implications for government according to the rule of law of the increasing significance of international law for public managers, and those actors that work with government in the realm of public administration.

The World of Public Administration is the foundation subject in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject sets out the foundations of public administration and explores how the theory and practice of public administration has adapted over time and in various settings to address the challenges faced by policy makers and managers.

The subject will particularly focus on understanding management and administration and the strategic environment in which managers operate. Students will develop an understanding of administration and management across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, the strategic environments that shape their actions, and the relationships these managers develop to deliver on the public policy challenges of the 21 st century.

This subject introduces students to the interdisciplinary aspects of public administration, in particular making connections to political science, law and economics, which are explored in depth in the three discipline core subjects in the Melbourne MPA.

Using Evidence is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject is one of three professionally-oriented subjects and it builds on the World of Public Administration and the core discipline subjects to develop the professional skills of participants with a particular focus on using evidence in managerial practice.

This subject will explore the issues of evidence construction and use in practice, allowing participants to reflect on their professional experience and develop their ability to be ‘smart consumers’ of information in a professional setting. It will explore how evidence is created, by whom, and for what purpose, exposing participants to the ongoing debates regarding evidence-based policy-making, data-driven decision-making, and, more broadly, the creation of knowledge. It will place a particular emphasis on the complex relationship between scientific advancement and the challenges this poses to leaders, managers and policy makers. 

Working Ethically is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused degree program for managers that work within or with government. This subject is one of three professionally-oriented subjects and it builds on the World of Public Administration and the core discipline subjects to develop the professional skills of participants with a particular focus on ethics.

The course provides students with an advanced understanding of ethics as they apply to the individual in their managerial role, but also in the design and implementation of public outcomes more broadly. This subject situates these challenges in their social, theoretical, historical and disciplinary contexts to provide participants with a strong foundation for their application in practice. The subject draws in particular on key ideas from philosophy to guide participants in working ethically as individual managers and leaders, but also more broadly facing the ethical dilemmas that managers confront in complex policy and governing environments. It will place a particular emphasis on the complex relationship between scientific advancement and the challenges this poses to policy makers and public managers.

The Applied Syndicate Project is a capstone option in the Melbourne Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused program for managers that work within or with government. This subject enables participants to draw on the expertise developed throughout the MPA and apply it in real time to a contemporary project. The project is team-based to mirror the practical experience of managers and will be developed and overseen by both a professional and academic mentor. The syndicate group will work in consultation with their practice and academic mentors to develop a project brief, undertake analysis, and prepare a professional report to the sponsoring organisation. The syndicate will present their report at the Capstone Presentation Day.

In this subject students will be placed in an organisation which either has governmental responsibilities or deals with government, where they will work under the supervision and guidance of a senior manager in the organisation. Students will be required to use their own networks to make an initial contact with a potential organisation. Their choice will then need to be ratified by the department. Students will carry out research or analytical exercises of relevance to the organisation that will be involved in high-level and complex policy making. Students will study the structure, culture and policy environment of the organisation and develop advanced analytical, research and report-writing skills as well as negotiating and interpersonal skills. Students completing this course should expect to acquire significant insight into the complexities of policy making and management. During the internship an academic supervisor will advise them.

If primary research is carried out during the internship, ethics approval is the responsibility of the host organisation.

This subject examines contemporary issues in governing, the challenges this creates for policy actors, and how they are addressed. It draws on the expertise of prominent academic and practitioner visitors to the Melbourne School of Government and reflects the core research areas of the Melbourne School of Government. Students will have the opportunity to explore these issues through various topics areas. 

This subject examines contemporary issues in policymaking and governing and how they are addressed. It draws on the expertise of prominent academic and practitioner visitors to the Melbourne School of Government and reflects the core research areas of the Melbourne School of Government. Students will have the opportunity to explore these issues through various topics areas at the global, national, and local levels, under these themes: Governance and Performance; Knowledge and Expertise in Public Policy; Security and Political Engagement; and Governing Markets.

This subject will focus on persuasion and influence. Policy makers and public managers need the ability to influence and persuade, whether it’s presenting policy advice to Ministers and Secretaries, influencing a group in a meeting or building support with stakeholders. Students will be introduced to the key concepts and tools underpinning persuasion and learn how to influence, build rapport and trust. Case study analysis and practice-based tasks will be used to develop students’ hands-on skills.

The thesis in Public Administration is a capstone option in the Master of Public Administration. The Melbourne MPA is an interdisciplinary, globally-focused program for managers that work within or with government. This subject provides students with an opportunity to undertake a program of independent research from which they produce a thesis of 10,000 words. The subject is undertaken in one semester and students will be supervised by a member of academic staff. All students intending to take this subject are required to consult with the MPA Director, prior to enrolment, and complete the thesis application process.

How can governments across the Indo-Pacific region cooperate to address mutual challenges? This subject examines how a regional governance framework helps us to formulate and implement responses to regional problems, such as transnational crime, environmental degradation, and response to natural disasters. We explore diverse approaches to public policy and administration from across the region, and the tensions which sometimes arise among them. For example, we consider how to strike a balance between rules-based governance (relying on international law, norms and rules) and relations-based governance (e.g. the ‘ASEAN Way’). We will hear from guest speakers in the public, university and not-for-profit sectors and consider how governments coordinate and implement policy responses to major regional challenges. This subject will be useful to students who work on issues relating to the Indo-Pacific region or those who are generally interested in how to address regional issues which, by their very nature, cannot be confined to a single country.

Topics:

• Key concepts and debates: What is regional governance, and what does it mean to consider a regional governance framework in addressing regional challenges? What are the key regional challenges faced by Australia and its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region today? What can we learn from exploring diverse approaches to public policy and administration from across the region?
• Key actors and institutions: We will examine the roles of actors including governments at federal, state, and local levels across the region; bilateral and multilateral agreements among countries, including at the sub-state level; regional governmental organisations and forums; transnational corporations, banking and finance groups; and transnational nongovernmental organisations engaged in humanitarian efforts.
• Key issues and case studies: Case studies may include statelessness and movement of people; environmental initiatives; disaster relief; approaches to transnational crime; and regional economic integration and crisis. Students are encouraged to focus in assessment on case studies of interest and relevance to them.

Policy makers need to under what big data is, how it is used, and what ethical and practical issues using big data to make decisions will raise in the 21^st Century. They do not need to be programmers. They need to understand, at a high level, the issues involved in using big data for public policy, for the generation of public value.

At the core of this subject is one question: Will decision-making based on standardized measurements from large databases become superior to judgment based upon personal experience and expertise? Decisions based on big data are useful when the experience of any single policy maker is likely to be too limited to develop an intuitive feel for, or reliable measure, of a policy’s efficacy. Statistical analysis can sometimes discover neglected characteristics of a population are more significant than is recognized by intuitive understanding based on accumulated experience. But sometimes, big data—high volume, high velocity, qualitatively various—produces more problems for public policy makers than it solves.

This subject explores all of these important issues, from the basic definitions and history of big data to examples of the use, and misuse, of big data in public policy. No programming knowledge is assumed or required, and none will be taught. The issues for public sector managers raised by this course will be debated and understood using case studies.

Demographic ageing is creating a shift in how to think and define homes, cities and public spaces. This subject explores feasible and sustainable approaches to keep the older segment of the population physically and socially active. Innovative changes in design can lead to significant advancements in service delivery, transportation models and homes that allow people to age in place. In addition, design principles for dementia and palliative care are a few of the many concepts that help minimise stress on people as they age and their families. Students will explore these topics and develop their own ideas about the way design can optimise the ageing process for comfort, security and overall well-being.

Development studies as an academic discipline has its origins in President Harry Truman's concept of a 'fair deal' for the entire world. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1949, he stated that Third World poverty, "is a handicap and a threat both to them and to more prosperous areas. For the first time in history humanity possesses the knowledge and the skill to relieve the suffering of these people.... I believe that we should make available to peace-loving peoples the benefits of our store of technical knowledge in order to help them realize their aspirations for a better life..... What we envisage is a program of development based on the concepts of democratic fair dealing"...

This subject aims to provide students with a solid grounding in one of the fundamental concerns of development and will explore the concepts and theories regarding cultural, political, economic and social aspects of poverty to critically engage in current debates on poverty, microfinance and development issues. The focus will be on developing countries. The subject will also extensively engage students into various theoretical debates, teaching of practical skills and techniques regarding Micro Finance and Small Business Entrepreneurship, which are widely promoted and used by the institutional financial institutions (such as the IMF and World Bank) and donor countries to alleviate poverty in less developed countries today.

The importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the management of projects and programs has been widely recognised within the development sector. Effective M&E acts as an anchor to keep the program moving in the right direction towards the goals and targets set at the planning stage. Historically, M&E was seen exclusively as a tool to make development organisations accountable to donors and conducted by foreign consultants who were largely unfamiliar with the context where development interventions took place. This approach has hampered development agencies’ efforts to obtain the right kind of information for effective M&E and project management.

Within the new M&E paradigms emerging since the 1990s, an emphasis is placed on not only accountability but also learning, empowerment and capacity building of local communities. This subject aims to offer comparative insights into different M&E approaches in development as well as to impart practical skills to students so they may develop the technical proficiency in project/program M&E. The subject focuses on development projects and programs rather than policies or public sector management. Practical exercises will be an essential part of the subject.

Over the course of the last thirty years, an 'associational revolution' has swept the world, as more and more civil society organizations have taken over tasks formerly assigned to states, formed cross-boder advocacy campaigns to hold both states and corporations accountable for labor, environmental, and human rights violations, and formulated alternative development policies that run counter to the paradigms espoused by the World Bank and other multilateral lending organizations. While some argue that this associational revolution promises more particpatory, expedient, and decentralized forms of transnational governance, others contend that it reflects little more than the ongoing privatization of the public sphere at the hands of transnational capital. In this course, we evaluate these and alternative perspectives by exploring transformations in the structure of the global political-economy over the past thirty years; looking closely at the roles played by a variety of NGOs and CBOs as part of more multi-layered regimes of 'global governance'; analyzing the shifts in state structures that have made these regimes possible; and teasing apart the ongoing tensions between various factions of what some have called, an emerging 'global civil society'. Case studies will be drawn from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

This subject will analyse the contemporary, integrated global crises of poverty, wealth and ecological destruction. It will concentrate on the contribution which economic analysis can make to understanding the issues and to addressing them. Topics to be covered include: the goals of socio-economic policy; the intertwined economic, financial, distributional and ecological crises; the dilemmas of integrating human development with environmental sustainability; neo-liberal economic strategies and their social democratic alternatives; macroeconomic stabilisation policies and their coordination; public finance and the minimisation of tax evasion; external finance for development including official development assistance and innovative sources of finance; population growth, ageing and social protection; conflict resolution and demilitarisation; employment; and global economic governance. The evolution of policies and proposals for innovation will be extensively discussed.

An advanced subject designed to cover core theoretical models and policy issues relating to commodity trade and factor flows between nations. Topics include theory of comparative advantage and gains from trade, tariffs and quotas, international capital and labour mobility, globalisation.

This subject provides an introduction to the fundamentals of microeconomics, strategy and key issues in macroeconomics, and applies this knowledge to business and management issues. Topics to be covered include: the working of competitive markets; the operation of business organisations such as cost management and pricing decisions; strategic behaviour and market outcomes in different market environments; the effect of public policy on business organisations; and the main macroeconomic influences on the business environment.

The course introduces students to the economic principles and framework used by economists to consider issues of public policy. The importance of rigorous analysis in problem solving is emphasised. The policy areas likely to be covered will be taken from public finance, industry policy, competition policy, micro-economic reform, taxation and income distribution, as well as health, education and infrastructure provision. The emphasis is on current issues and so the actual policies covered may vary in response to current events.

The subject covers issues relating to the labour market (employment and unemployment), the product market (consumption, saving and investment) and the markets for finance and foreign exchange. It covers the role of government economic policy as well as issues such as inflation and the balance of payments.

This subject explains and provides illustrative applications of microeconomic theory of the behaviour of households, firms and government and how the behaviour of the private sector and the public sector influence the efficiency of the economy. Topics include consumer theory, producer theory, perfect competition and general equilibrium, market failures associated with market power, externalities and public goods.

This subject develops the analytical skills routinely used by practicing macroeconomists. These may include: theories of long-run economic growth; the flexible and sticky price macroeconomic models; open economy macroeconomic models; and the analysis of macroeconomic policy making.

The subject focuses on the development and critical assessment of a range of past, current and proposed environmental policies in Australia, Europe, the US and other parts of the world. The subject covers a range of topics including energy, transport, biodiversity loss, fisheries management, rural and urban water use, air pollution, and climate change. Policy instruments covered in class include taxes, rebates, fees, permit trading, bans, informational policies, and legal instruments. Real-world issues and real-world policy responses are compared and discussed. The subject equips students with a set of economic principles and decision-framework that can help develop arguments for or against environmental policies. Students will learn about innovative policy solutions as well as policies with potential pitfalls and unintended consequences.

It is perhaps obvious that human behaviour is having a negative impact on our environment. Behavioural change, thus, is pivotal to ensure a more environmentally sustainable future. However the question of behavioural change is vexed. Some argue that humans are ‘naturally’ greedy and selfish, others suggest that we are ‘puppets’ - the victims of the social structures engendered by capitalism, and yet others trust that good behaviour will follow from the ‘truth’; knowledge about environmental problems. These and other views of behaviour set up particular change strategies. The above examples suggest three strategies for changing behaviour: provide people with incentives that will lead them to ‘choose’ different behaviours, or the transformation of social structures such as capitalism and patriarchy, or the provision of environmental education.

This subject examines the question of behavioural change from a number of disciplinary perspectives (psychology, sociology ecology, marketing and economics). Each discipline ‘sees’ the problem differently and this allows us to map insights and gaps in these knowledges. These purported differences can be understood and reconciled; behaviour is show to be a function of the physical, social and psychological aspects of social practices. This allows for a more holistic understanding of behaviour and the strategies that might create behaviour change.

NB: This subject uses a ‘flipped classroom’ mode of delivery. Most weeks require the watching of a vodcast prior to attending a 2 hour seminar. The success of the seminars and student learning is governed by individuals’ preparation and participation. This subject covers a lot of theory and requires active engagement. The consideration of societal behaviour change will likely engender a consideration of your own behaviour, including as a student.

This subject is designed for graduate students who would like to improve their spoken English skills for professional contexts. It is aimed at speakers of English as an additional language.

Students who complete this subject will become familiar with Australian English pronunciation, will develop confidence and self-awareness, and will improve the clarity and fluency of their speech for use in professional communication. The content covers various aspects of pronunciation, such as individual sounds, sound combinations, syllables and word stress, rhythm, sentence stress, connected speech processes and intonation. Students will also improve their listening-discrimination skills, develop an understanding of the basic processes involved in speech production and gain practical knowledge about the communicative nature of sentence stress and intonation, especially as they apply to workplace settings.

The subject aims to improve students’ ability to edit their written texts in order to produce grammatically accurate and stylistically appropriate texts for professional purposes. The subject begins with a review of the most frequent errors in the writing of students who speak English as a Second Language, including errors in morphology, syntax, cohesion, and punctuation, and then considers the impact that such errors may have on meaning. In the second half of the subject, students engage in linguistic analysis of a range of work-place texts (e.g. short reports, media releases). The aim of this analysis is to identify the most salient grammatical and stylistic features that contribute to the clarity of the texts. Throughout the subject students will engage in identifying areas of concern in their writing (annotation), self and peer editing exercises, keeping logs of their progress, and using available online grammar resources.

This subject aims to develop effective written communication skills for use in professional workplace contexts. It is designed for graduate students, who are speakers of English as an additional language. Given the wide range of professional workplaces and modes of writing found within these, this subject aims to help students reflect on the different contexts and interactions that are at stake in professional reading and writing. It will do this by teaching students techniques of text analysis to assist them in identifying the conventions of a variety of genres encountered in the workplace. Students will also develop skills in structuring and writing texts that respond appropriately and flexibly to a range of communicative purposes and audiences. Particular attention will be paid to workplace modes of writing (including promotional and hortatory text types), and to the processes of collaborative professional writing.

This subject enhances students’ ability to communicate effectively and strategically in English-speaking professional settings in Australia and internationally. Students will acquire research-based discourse analytic tools to understand workplace cultures and norms of interaction, and develop practical skills in advanced spoken and email-based workplace interaction. Topics include opening and closing conversations, engaging in small talk, raising sensitive issues with peers and superior, making and responding to requests, complaints, and refusals from a position of strength and weakness, structuring short ad hoc speeches, participating in job interviews, and understanding cultural norms of humour, sarcasm and non-literal language use. There will be an emphasis throughout on intercultural differences and awareness raising of how cultural norms impact interaction.

Note: This subject is aimed at speakers of English as an additional language. It is not suitable for native speakers of English.

This subject introduces students to the fundamentals of finance, financial securities and financial markets. Topics include: key financial concepts such as the time-value-of-money, risk, return, present value, diversification, arbitrage, leverage and voting control; key financial securities such as stocks, bonds, mortgages and other loans; key financial markets such as the stock, interest rate and foreign exchange markets; and key participants in financial markets such as investors, funds, companies, banks, intermediaries, governments and regulators.

This subject is designed for students who seek an understanding of financial concepts and markets, but who do not intend to pursue any further studies in finance.

This subject examines the relationships between gender, globalisation and development, illustrated principally through case studies, policy documents, and ethnographic texts. It also draws theoretical perspectives and insights from a number of social science and humanities disciplines as well. On completion of the subject students should have an understanding of problems of writing about gender and difference: debates on modernity, globalisation, and development: gender, colonialism and postcolonialism; gender, politics, and the state; masculinities, femininities and sexualities; gender and labour; gender and development agencies; gender, religion and development; gender, sexuality, rights and transnational migration. 

This subject explores the theoretical and political issues surrounding ideas of rights and human rights, with special reference to the development process within the contemporary globalising order. It draws on recent critical feminist and other (re)theorising within a range of disciplines, including anthropology and sociology, political science, international relations, geography, legal studies, history and development studies. The subject examines definitions of rights and the re-framing of such ideas within critical theory, the background to the development of the international human rights regime, the moral basis of and possibility of global civil society and global citizenship, histories of rights discourses, especially the so-called four generations of rights, the state, citizenship and rights in the developing world, "rights", universalism, cosmopolitanism and "culture", with particular reference to "Asian Values", participation and rights-based development theory and practice, especially in relation to poverty alleviation, economic and land rights, indigenous people's rights, labour, unfree labour and rights, war, displacement, the new migrations and refugees' rights, women's rights, sexuality rights, children's rights, disability rights, and NGOs, social movements and rights.

Privacy has been valued for centuries but now there is a resurgent interest in its protection as a result of new technologies, changing social norms  and a rise of markets focused on the commodity value of information. Overlapping with the resurgent interest in privacy is a related concern about the management of data flows, especially on the part of government agencies and business organisations. The legal frameworks that deal with privacy and data protection have a long history but are coming under pressure to adapt to a more complex modern environment.

Privacy and data protection experts Professor Megan Richardson and Karin Clark explore these issues. They pay particular attention to the scope and nature of privacy protection as well as appropriate limits and exceptions, the ongoing pressures for law reform, and the practical operation of privacy and data protection laws in Australia and comparable jurisdictions.

Principal topics include:

• What is privacy?
• Conceptual and legal definitional issues
• International and comparative privacy and data protection regimes
• Protection of privacy in general law in Australia and comparable jurisdictions
• The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth): regulation of personal information held by the private and public sectors
• State/territory (especially Victorian) legislative regimes for the regulation of personal information
• Current topics in privacy law such as privacy and the media, privacy and health information, online privacy (including anti-spam laws), telecommunications and surveillance privacy
• Current reform inquiries and proposals and likely reforms.

Environmental law deals with some of the most vital but also highly controversial issues within Australia and the global society. Environmental issues are a prominent feature of public debate, scientific research and regulatory action and this subject canvasses how law has evolved in response to such challenges, as well as identifying where reform may be required. The subject equips students with a strong grounding in the foundational principles of environmental law in Australia by reference to the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, as well as relevant pollution control and biodiversity legislation. In addition, it provides an introduction to international environmental law dealing with questions such as trans-boundary harm and World Heritage protection, as well as considering how international influences have shaped the direction of Australian environmental law.

This subject will provide an examination of the development and current scope of Australian environmental law, with a focus on the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and related state environmental protection legislation.

Principal topics include:

• The growing importance of international law, with the recognition that environmental protection issues cross regulatory boundaries
• Greater integration between relevant discipline areas concerned with environmental protection
• Greater diversity in environmental law approaches, including integration with other regulatory areas such as planning, natural resource management, water use and indigenous land management, and financial measures and economic instruments.

These themes will be illustrated by case studies in the following areas:

• Environmental law: The drivers of change
• Environmental actors, including public interest litigation
• The range of legal and regulatory tools deployed in environmental law, including consideration of market mechanisms
• The interaction of law and science, with a focus on the precautionary principle
• Integration and complexity challenges in implementing environmental law with a focus on biodiversity protection
• International law trends, including trade and environment and climate change governance.

In the past two decades, indigenous peoples have become increasingly prominent players in international law. Indigenous rights are now part of the mainstream body of international human rights law – comprehensively articulated in the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007. They also form part of the mandate of a number of UN agencies, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank and the UN human rights bodies, and are directly supervised by indigenous experts within the UN system via the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These mechanisms increasingly provide leverage for indigenous claims in domestic law, and require governments to have regard to indigenous rights when making decisions affecting their interests. This subject explores the practice and theory of indigenous rights in international law and considers their influence on the domestic law and policy of Australia and other settler states. It addresses the distinctive qualities of indigenous rights and focuses especially on the central importance of collective indigenous rights to self-determination, culture and territory. This subject is co-taught by indigenous law experts Dr McMillan (Wiradjuri nation) and Associate Professor Gover.

Principal topics include:

• The history and current status of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007
• The role and work of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• The work and impact of UN Special Rapporteurs
• The development of general human rights norms in their application to indigenous peoples by the human rights treaty bodies, particularly the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• The development of ILO standards and the impact of its work domestically
• The extent to which Australian governments have incorporated international human rights into policy approaches in relation to Indigenous affairs
• The work of the Social Justice Commissioner in utilising human rights law and values in the Australian context
• Examination of comparative developments using examples such as the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

Adequate, reliable and sustainable supplies of energy are crucial to modern societies, and their assurance demands the close and continuous involvement of governments. This subject explains the challenges—affordability, security of supply, safety, control of monopoly, sustainability in an age of global warming—that the economic and technical characteristics of different energy sources present to governments in Australia, and analyses the regulatory tools that they have at their disposal for responding to such challenges. It shows how the law can function both as an essential vehicle for such regulation and as a constraint on its content. The lecturer is a leading international authority on oil and gas law and has published extensively in the field of regulation.

Principal topics include:

• The nature of regulation, its development in Australia and its relationship with law
• General explanations and justifications for regulation
• The techniques of regulation
• Regulatory issues posed by the supply of different types of energy:
  • Mineral energies: coal, petroleum and uranium
  • Network energies: electricity, gas
  • Renewable energies
• The Australian federal environment for energy regulation. Two or more case studies of Australian energy regulation:
  • Electricity and gas: from state monopolies to regulated national markets
  • Mined energies: securing effective exploitation, managing resource conflicts
  • Renewable energies: regulatory incentives
• Cross-cutting issues in energy regulation:
  • Regulatory authorities
  • Forms of regulation: prescription versus goal-based regulation; discretion versus rules; legislation versus contract
  • Regulatory review and evaluation.

For centuries the breeding and racing of animals, especially horses, has been pursued with interest and passion in many parts of the world. A race attracts betting and from that emerges the prospect of misdeeds. As the scale and economic significance of the racing and associated betting industries have grown, so too has regulation by private groups and public authorities. Today, these industries face new challenges to their economic and regulatory models, born of a wide range of alternate gambling opportunities and the need to safeguard integrity. Changing attitudes to animal welfare are also influential. This subject explores different ways in which the law operates in this field and might be developed to meet the new challenges. It is for anyone interested in animal racing, including legal counsel, integrity officers and gambling industry participants. The three-member teaching team brings to the subject a varied and high level of expertise.

This subject will consider selected topics concerning the regulation of the racing industry (thoroughbred, harness and greyhound) in Australia. The primary focus will be upon analysing evolving regulatory arrangements and the role of public policy.

Principal topics include:

• Overview of the structure of the racing industry in Australia, including identification of key stakeholders and commercial and legal relationships
• Governance and regulatory issues, including the historical role of Principal Clubs and the trend to public regulation
• Public policy issues in gambling control and their relationship to the racing industry
• Legal aspects of breeding, purchase and ownership, including the role of the Australian Stud Book and syndication
• Liability for injury
• Occupational regulation of jockeys, trainers and bookmakers
• Legal aspects of race results, prizes and incentive schemes
• Legal issues in professional gambling
• Disciplinary powers and processes, including stewards’ hearings, appeal tribunals and judicial reviews.

Whilst the High Court has recognised and applied an implied constitutional guarantee of freedom of governmental and political communication, speech on matters of public interest in Australia remains subject to a wide range of legal limitations, many of which would be struck down as unconstitutional in other common law jurisdictions. This subject explores the limitations on free speech that arise as a result of proceedings and processes initiated by arms of the state and prosecutorial authorities: legislative, executive and judicial, and from censorship of sexually-explicit material to restrictions applying to the advocacy of terrorism. Those restrictions profoundly affect the material that may be published by the media. It is the impact of the current restrictions on free speech on both the media and on non-media elements of civil society that are the focus of this subject. Taken individually and collectively, these regimes limit the access of Australians to speech that matters.

This subject provides an examination of Australian law affecting the media’s ability to report the courts, the executive and parliament.

Principal topics include:

• Contempt of court
• Contempt of parliament
• Offensive publications: violence, pornography and racism
• Seditious publications
• Access to information in court
• Government information: security and official secrets
• Freedom of speech: theoretical issues and international perspectives.

All countries face the challenge of ensuring their tax systems are able to support effective governments in the global era of increasingly mobile capital and labour, and to establish effective, fair, simple and sustainable tax systems for the future. Australia has undergone a number of major tax reform exercises over recent decades and there is an ongoing public debate in Australia, as in other countries, about how to keep the tax system relevant in a changing international economy.

This subject engages with the fundamental fiscal policy issues of today for all levels of government. It will analyse the major tax bases available for governments, the interactions of tax law with the transfer system, the challenge of environmentally sustainable taxes and issues of tax law design, complexity and administration for the future. The subject is taught by Paul Tilley, a former Australian Treasury official with a long history of tax reform in Australia.

Principal topics include:

• Introduction to macroeconomics and fiscal policy
• Introduction to microeconomics and resource allocation policy
• Principles, objectives and main concepts in tax policy formulation
• The social, economic and historical – political contexts of tax policy formulation in Australia
• Major issues in tax reform in Australia, including in relation to fiscal policy and revenue adequacy, the major tax bases at each level of government, interactions within the tax-transfer system and issues of tax policy design cost, complexity and administration.

In many ways, national constitutions are closely tied to their nation states. They are made with the authority of the people of the state. They are often important national symbols. Arguably, they need to be responsive to the circumstances of the state, in order to be effective. On the other hand, constitutional rights are becoming increasingly globalised, drawing freely on comparative experience as well as international human rights norms. This subject provides an international perspective on bills of rights, exploring both the similarities in norms and differences in the ways in which they are understood and given effect. In doing so, it provides insights into how new constitutional rights instruments might most effectively be designed and interpreted. It covers topics such as: arguments for and against bills of rights, the institutional arrangements for the enforcement of bills of rights, proportionality or limitation analysis, the horizontal application of bills of rights and socio-economic rights. The relevance of these issues to the interests of students in the class will be a theme throughout the subject. The lecturer is a leading comparative constitutional rights scholar, whose writings on The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism have attracted world-wide attention.

Principal topics will include:

• The context: Australia today—its current Constitution and the Bill of Rights debate
• Constitutional rights in Canada: When they arrived (1982); what they look like; how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms balances the powers of the courts and legislatures and what Canada might have to offer Australia
• Comparisons with other forms of rights protection in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand
• Constitutional rights in federal systems of government (i.e., Canada, the United States and Australia)
• The literature and theory of judicial review: The nature of the debate, the relationship between courts and legislatures and judicial review under different models (i.e. ‘strong’ versus ‘weak’ rights-protecting instruments)
• Australia’s future options going forward.

International migration is a topic of ever-increasing interest as a result of globalisation of labour markets and demographic pressures in sending and receiving states. This subject analyses the framework of international law that regulates the flow of people across international borders as regular or irregular migrants. It also equips students to understand the human rights of migrants who live or work in countries outside the state of their nationality. The subject aims to give students a broad understanding of connections between relevant legal frameworks rather than detailed knowledge of specialised regimes, and it is not a course in domestic migration law. The subject draws on a mix of international and Australian case studies, which befits Australia’s position as a major migrant-receiving country for over 60 years.

Principal topics include:

• Contemporary patterns of international migration
• Nationality and statelessness
• Regulating entry of persons
• Regulating exit of persons
• Refugees and asylum-seekers
• International labour migration
• International human rights of migrants
• Human trafficking and smuggling
• Emerging migration issues (eg environmental migration).

This subject explores and examines the international legal regime for the protection of refugees. The essential premise of the subject is that refugee law should be understood as a mode of human rights protection, the viability of which requires striking a balance between the needs of the victims of human rights abuse and the legitimate aspirations of the countries to which they flee. The primary objective of the subject is to enable students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the international legal regime for international protection – the basis for being granted protection in 147 countries, including Australia. The subject will situate Australian refugee law and policy within the context of Australia’s international obligations.

Principal topics include:

• History of the international system of refugee protection
• Legal and institutional framework of international legal protection
• The implementation of the Refugee Convention in Australian law
• Refugee status determination: domestic and international dimensions
• Responsibility sharing and shifting
• Principles of treaty interpretation applied to refugee law
• The definition of ‘refugee’ in international law
• Exclusion from refugee protection.

Intergovernmental relations permeate every aspect of Australian government. It is not possible to fully understand Australian law without an appreciation of how it is affected by arrangements between the Commonwealth and the states. Corporations law, mining law, environmental law, medical law and a host of other fields are based, in one way or another, on arrangements of this kind. This unique subject deals with the complex and opaque framework of law and practice by which intergovernmental arrangements are structured. It demonstrates that the framework is changing, through new legislation, intergovernmental agreements and constitutional interpretation, and offers students the knowledge and skills to follow and critically assess these developments for themselves. The use of examples from current intergovernmental arrangements makes this an intensely practical subject. The subject design also presents the big picture in a way that encourages the class to reflect on the significance of the phenomenon of intergovernmental co-operation as a whole. While the subject has a primarily Australian focus, international students who are curious about multi-level government may find it of interest for this reason as well. Both members of the teaching team have long experience in the area and bring to the subject a rich mix of theoretical understanding and practical insight, from Australia and elsewhere.

Principal topics will include:

• General constitutional principles
• The intergovernmental relations map
• References of power: Constitution section 51(38)
• Techniques for uniform law
• Grants and agreements
• Intergovernmental institutions
• Executive cooperation
• Cooperation between courts
• The High Court and intergovernmental cooperation
• Administrative law and intergovernmental cooperation
• Fiscal federalism and intergovernmental relations.

Human rights law is a subject of growing importance with wide implications, for governments and business. This subject considers how human rights law can be used to regulate private power (the power of the employer) and a private law relationship (the contract of employment) in an era of globalisation and transnational corporations. It examines, in particular, the question whether labour rights can be regarded as human rights, and considers the main international instruments designed to regulate the workplace.

The main focus will be the four core principles of the International Labour Organisation, concerned with the right to freedom of association, protection from discrimination, the elimination of forced labour, and combating child labour. Consideration will be given to how these and related obligations can be enforced against governments, but also against corporations. Different instruments of corporate accountability are fully explored, and attention is paid to how business can keep on the right side of human rights standards, and the risks of failing to do so, with reference to the law and practice of Australia and other common law jurisdictions.

What is the relevance of human rights at work for governments and corporations in Australia, whether doing business here or overseas? What are the ‘risks’ of human rights at work, legal or otherwise? Conversely, how can trade unions mobilise around human rights at work to advance the interests of their members?

Principal topics include:

• The nature of protection of labour rights in international and domestic law
• The scope and relevance of international labour standards for domestic law
• The role of hard and soft law mechanisms and the collapse of the hard/soft law distinction
• The application of human rights principles to private law relationships in selected areas.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at least two Australians per day are arrested in an overseas country in relation to alleged offences. Many of those arrested are subsequently detained and their detention poses challenges related to consular assistance and for effective legal representation. This subject considers the international legal obligations of detaining States to allow consular access to foreign detainees and the role Australian authorities regularly play. It will also expose some of the challenges of coordinating legal representation both in Australia and in the detaining country. This subject is unique in Australia and the lecturers will draw on their extensive practical experience and their academic scholarship to present relevant, topical and cutting-edge material.

Principal topics include:

• Alternative bases for the exercise of national criminal jurisdiction
• Privileges and immunities
• Consular assistance and the law of consular relations
• Australia’s national approach to the provision of consular assistance
• The appointment of legal counsel in the detaining State and in Australia
• Case studies of selected Australians detained abroad.

This subject responds to the increasingly globalised nature of constitutional law by examining significant constitutional questions that recur across various legal systems.

Comparative study of constitutions provides a deeper, more systematic understanding of constitutional law and governance. In particular, it provides opportunities to discover that aspects of one system are not necessarily replicated elsewhere.

The subject will enrich students’ understanding of the constitution with which they are most familiar. It is of practical significance for scholars, advocates and for those involved in the formation and implementation of public law policy and reform.

Principal topics will include:

• Legislative powers over inter-State trade and taxation
• Resolving conflicts within federations
• Proportionality and other methods of judicial reasoning
• The nature of constitutional rights.

Key decisions of the High Court of Australia will be examined. The principal comparator jurisdictions include Canada, the United States, Germany, South Africa and some European jurisdictions.

Do judges make law? If they do, how is the law that they make different from that which legislatures make? Do legislatures have intentions? In legal systems that subscribe to the principle of legislative supremacy, are there any limits to what the legislature can enact? Is it better that courts be constitutionally entitled to review the legality of laws that legislatures enact? Absent this entitlement, what can courts do with those laws? This course has students consider these questions by examining the law-making functions of legislatures and courts, idea of legislative intent, the concepts of legislative supremacy and judicial review, the concept of ex post facto law and the core principles of statutory construction.

Principal topics will include:

• Enacted and judge-made law
• Legislative intent and supremacy
• Ex post facto law
• Judicial review of legislation
• Statutory interpretation.

Money in politics raises profound challenges for democracies across the world: billion-dollar American presidential elections have led United States being branded the 'best democracy money can buy'; in Indonesia, the tactics of ‘money politics’ are regularly decried; and in Australia, unregulated political spending in federal elections raise concerns about the fairness of such contests.

What should be the role of the law in regulating money in politics? What should be the principles to determine the content and the limits of such law? What should be the respective roles of the legislature, executive and the judiciary in shaping such laws? And what should be the institutional framework for ensuring compliance with legal obligations?

This subject will adopt a cross-national approach to examining these challenging questions. It will examine the experiences of a range of countries including those from the Commonwealth (eg Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom), Europe (eg France and Germany), South-East Asia (eg Indonesia) and the United States. Taught by two leading experts in this field, the subject will draw out the tensions and dilemmas in regulating money in politics.

Principal questions examined include:

• What are the regulatory challenges of money in politics?
• What standards and principles should apply to the regulation of such money? Do these standards and principles vary according to particular national contexts? Is it meaningful to speak of international standards or international ‘best practice’?
• How should political donations and campaign expenditure be regulated?
• How should public funding of campaigns and political parties be provided?
• What should be in the institutional framework governing the regulation of money in politics? Which branch of government should have the power to enact such laws? What institutions (eg electoral commissions; anti-corruption commissions) should be responsible for effectively enforcing such regulation?

Human rights, community development and poverty are three areas that demand both critical academic scholarship as well as committed practical intervention. The three areas are distinct yet also overlapping, and this subject will explore the personal, political, programmatic and conceptual dimensions of theories and practice in all three areas.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this subject will explore how human rights have been invoked to challenge development practices that produce or exacerbate extreme poverty and how international development institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have incorporated human rights principles in their poverty alleviation initiatives. Throughout, this subject will take a historical and critical perspective, working with case studies to interrogate the efficacy of human rights practices to challenge the underlying geopolitical dynamics that produce and perpetuate global poverty. This subject will be grounded in the lived experiences of people in different contexts around the world, to localise the conceptual discussions within the dynamic realities of everyday life.

Principal topics include:

• Concepts of human rights
• Law and legal consciousness in everyday life
• Scope, distribution and socio-political dynamics of global poverty
• Questions of measuring development and monitoring economic and social change
• Representation and social mobilisation of human rights, development and poverty concerns.
• Overview of major international organisations charged with poverty alleviation (World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Development Program)
• Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach to human development
• History and theory of the right to development and rights-based development
• Concept of poverty as a human rights violation
• Human rights conditionalities on development projects (for example, related to economic management or social inclusion)
• The pragmatic use of rights rhetoric and tools to build social movements to fight poverty
• Thematic case studies on areas including health (focusing on HIV), gender equality, education, food security and civic participation in local and national decision-making processes.

One outcome of the globalisation of the Australian job market is the increasing need for transcultural communication skills in both the private and public sectors. Transcultural communication typically entails interaction in which one or more of the communicators use a second or third language. Successful transcultural communication requires not only a shared language but also strong intercultural awareness and skills. These include verbal skills such as how and when to use speech and silence as well as non-verbal skills knowing how and when gaze, gesture and body posture may differ across cultures. This subject will provide students with the tools to achieve successful transcultural encounters in professional settings. The delivery of the subject will include lectures with audio-visual materials, discussion sessions to deepen the students' understanding of theories of transcultural communication and their practical implications, and assignments that require an application of presented theories to the analysis of transcultural communication. Sponsored by the School of Languages and Linguistics and the Faculty of Arts' Asia Institute, this subject will focus on transcultural communication at the intersection of cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and religious boundaries. The subject will be taught by sociolinguistic and transcultural communication experts whose expertise ranges from multicultural and Aboriginal Australia, to Asia, the Middle East, Northern and Southern Europe, and the South Pacific.

This subject examines the strategies used by political actors to communicate with a focus on political, public and government communication. Topics covered include theories of political communication and how news media cover politics, ‘spin’ and PR methods used by politicians to manage the media, political advertising, political oratory, government communication and broadcast political interviews.

The demand for business-focused HR means that HR practitioners need the ability to work in partnership with stakeholders from diverse areas of the business. This capacity is essential to improving the implementation of HR strategies, initiatives and plans, to build business support for HR and to ensure that HR is integrated with other business activities and functions. This subject focuses on developing business partnership competencies for HR people and will cover consulting and influencing skills, relationship-building, organisational politics, group processes and project management.

Managing diversity is a strategic approach towards HRM. It is about utilising human resources efficiently and effectively by identifying significant differences in the workforce and labour markets, and exploring the potential advantages of workforce diversity. This subject will examine the key issues of managing diversity from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. The focus of the subject is anti-discrimination in all aspects of employment. This will be examined by a consideration of the discrimination and fairness, access and legitimacy, and learning and effectiveness paradigms.

One of the main challenges for today's managers is effectively communicating vision and inspiring employees to achieve that vision within team-based work structures. This subject deals with this challenge by examining the interaction of leadership and team processes. A focus will be on critically evaluating the role of leaders in organisations with high involvement work practices (for example, employee involvement and empowerment) and the role of human resource practices in identifying and developing organisational leaders. Topics considered will include: contemporary theories of leadership; the role of managers as organisational leaders; human resources and leadership challenges of the team-based organisational structure; managing team dynamics; the effectiveness of shared leadership; human resource strategies for developing organisational leaders; and the impact of high involvement work practices on leading and managing teams.

This subject focuses on the link between HRM and business strategies and operations. The subject examines fundamental tools in strategic human resource management including the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of HR activities. A focus will be on the fit between HR and business strategy, and the congruence among HR activities. The subject will critically analyse strategic HRM theories and practices and their applications to organisational realities. The changing nature of the HRM function and its impact on HR professionals will also be considered.

The way in which an organisation defines, assesses and rewards employee performance has implications for its ability to attract, motivate and retain employees. This subject uses theory and research to identify practical insights into systems for assessing employee performance and linking performance to pay outcomes. The subject will also address contemporary issues such as the employee and supervisor gender and transparency on the implementation and effectiveness of performance and reward management practices.

This subject will explore different approaches to managing organisational change. These approaches will draw on a number of different theories of change, which may include organisation development, strategic change, organisational power and politics, organisational culture, leadership, and organisational discourse theory. The subject will evaluate and contrast different theories and consider their implications for change management. The subject will also examine issues related to resistance to change and explore some of the reasons why change attempts often fail.

Conflict between individual and groups is an inevitable aspect of day to day life. This subject will review the nature of conflict in the workplace and the conflict management strategies of influencing and negotiation. Students will be given the opportunity to apply negotiation techniques to case studies and in simulations.

This subject develops knowledge of theories of human behaviour in an organisational setting, and leadership theories and practices.

Topics covered include:

• Managing employees for peak performance
• Developing effective leaders through coaching and mentoring
• Evaluating the role of people management for organisational performance

This subject examines the nature of strategy and strategy processes in organisations. It explores the role that organisations play in society by exploring their impact on the people who work in them, the communities that surround them, and other stakeholders. In particular, a stakeholder value perspective of strategy formulation is considered.

This subject provides the concepts and skills of leadership and management, including the perspective of the CEO and business unit manager, and introductions to the major topics of strategic leadership, business/organizational behaviour and strategy and competitive and effective performance outcomes.

This subject will explore a broad range of issues central to management and business communication. These issues will draw on a number of different theories of management including corporate communication with stakeholders, the impact of new information and communication technologies, encouraging employee voice, and informal communication systems in organizations. The subject will evaluate and contrast different cases of management and business communication and explore the communication challenges facing businesses today.

Social entrepreneurs are individuals who establish an enterprise with the goal of solving complex social or environmental problems, including poverty, access to health, homelessness, climate change and food waste. They have been credited with success in disrupting the traditional forms and purpose of business and charity by creating innovative social enterprises that meld the best features of business and the non-profit sector. This subject seeks to equip students with a critical understanding of the social enterprise form and support them in developing a startup social enterprise with the purpose of solving a social and/or environmental problem. Designed and delivered with input from leaders in the social enterprise sector, the subject features lectures and workshops on social enterprise design, business modelling, pitching, social finance and measurement, as well as addressing the difficulties and dark side of social enterprise. In the subject students will develop an idea for a startup social enterprise and develop a business plan which they will pitch to a Shark Tank panel of experts. Prizes will be awarded to the best ideas to help develop these solutions into successful social enterprises.

This subject explores contemporary relationships between Indigenous Peoples and settler societies from sociological, legal, political and social policy perspectives. In a comparative perspective it examines the dynamics of these relationships in terms of national, regional and global political orders, with a particular emphasis on evolving international mechanisms for intervention and reform. It explores the impacts and management of dispossession, Indigenous movements for land rights and self-determination and general movements for reconciliation. The subject is concerned also with the methodological and ethical complexities of conducting research on Indigenous issues both within settler societies and globally.

Social enterprises are businesses that exist with the specific purpose of solving social and/or environmental problems through trade. These enterprises merge the best features of business and the non-profit sector to create innovative solutions that address both social and market gaps. Within these enterprises, success is thus measured in social and/or environmental terms, in addition to financial sustainability.

This multidisciplinary subject has been developed in partnership with Unbound, a Melbourne-based social enterprise leading innovative education programs on social change through entrepreneurship across the Asia-Pacific region. The subject equips students with a critical understanding of social entrepreneurship, and provides them with a practical opportunity to develop their own start-up social enterprise. Groups will be formed according to personal interest and students will work in small project teams to conceptualise, develop and pitch a viable social enterprise initiative. Students are also expected to test their idea in the marketplace in real time, for example, liaise with external organisations to receive feedback on your product/service and/or develop a minimal viable product that can be showcased.

To support the development of ideas, the subject draws from case studies, field trips and guests speakers from the Victorian start-up ecosystem that share their personal experiences and advice as successful social entrepreneurs. Students will also have the opportunity to receive direct support on their idea during a feedback salon with academics, business leaders and social enterprise practitioners.

Upon completing this subject, students will develop a critical understanding of the nature of social enterprise in contemporary society and the practical requirements for developing sustainable social enterprise projects. The subject also uniquely provides students with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world solutions in real time.

This subject is an occasion to reflect on some important recent developments in global politics: the global economic crisis, Islamist militancy, humanitarian intervention and global surveillance. Its thematic cohesion comes from the choice of a left political perspective in selecting readings. Accordingly, the main issues are understood within the broader context of the post-World War II interests of capital and state in the powerful countries – especially in North America, Western Europe and the Middle East. By the end of the subject you should have a rigorous understanding of contemporary critical thought on developments that are likely to shape the coming generation.

It is now possible to buy or sell many things that have traditionally been kept outside of the market. Controversial examples include the sale of human organs and the renting of reproductive labour. Supporters of these markets argue that they provide a means of allocating important goods whose supply cannot be secured through altruism or other non-market methods. Critics see the spread of markets into new areas of social life as cause for concern, either because they offend against the status of certain goods, exploit vulnerable people, or lead to an objectionable proliferation of commerce. Other problems with markets seem to be emerging given the increased amount of consumer spending in pursuit of status or competitive advantage, as evidenced by markets in luxury goods and private education. This subject will evaluate these concerns with reference to various policy tools, including pricing controls, cooling-off periods, specialised taxation, a minimum wage, and the use of government monopolies.

This subject examines the politics and governance of international trade. It explores the domestic and international dimensions of trade policy-making and the growing complexity of the "trade agenda" in national and international politics. It examines theories of trade and protection and theories of trade policy-making. It examines the evolution of the multilateral trade system since World War Two and the contemporary and future challenges that confront the system. The subject examines some of the perennial problems in the governance of the global trade system, as well as new issues and concerns, such as trade and the environment, trade and development, and agenda-setting and decision-making in the WTO. Finally, the subject explores the emergence of regional trade blocs and "free trade agreements" and their consequences for the multilateral trade system.

The respective roles, responsibilities and sources of power characterizing relationships between business and government play a crucial role in shaping public policy and regulation, within and between countries. Because of its productive function, business often enjoys a privileged position with government, while a major goal of policy and regulation at national and international levels is to steer and regulate business activity. Relationships between business and government vary significantly in different countries, economic sectors, and over time, and the conceptual tools for understanding them remain subject to widespread debate. This subject critically reviews contemporary policy debates and scholarly research, and draws on contrasting case examples to explore theoretical, normative and practical implications of business-government relationships. Particular attention is given to debates about government-business relationships associated with processes of public policy formation and implementation, social and environmental regulation, and delivery of public services and infrastructure. On completion of the subject, students should have a strong critical understanding of debates about the character and inter-relationship of business and government, from a comparative and international perspective.

The subject will examine various dimensions of the conflict between national sovereignty and international interdependence which impinge on the nature and institutions of global governance. It will extend students' knowledge of the diversity of the forms of international governance, and of the purposes, activities, styles of work and governance of international institutions. The subject will explore the rationale and functioning of existing institutions, attempt a rigorous assessment of their effectiveness, of proposals for their reform, and of the gaps in institutional arrangements. Particular attention will be given to the sources of conflicts underlying their difficulties in making decisions and taking action. On completion of the subject students should be better able to discern the forces operating in global institutions, the means through which they work, and to effectively discuss alternative possible reforms.

How is foreign policy made? Who are the key actors involved in foreign and trade policymaking? What factors and information sources do they consider? What are the frames of reference that national and international policymakers bring to bear, the obstacles they confront, and the strategies and techniques of diplomatic persuasion and negotiation they are most likely to find effective in moving issues forward? What factors determine which issues and problems get priority government attention? What determines success or failure in areas such as bilateral initiatives, treaty negotiations, external interventions, conflict prevention and resolution and engagement with multilateral organisations? How much influence do non-governmental organisations and other civil society actors have in international policymaking?

This subject is based around a series of case studies taught by the Subject Coordinator as well as a number of senior guest lecturers who are or have been international policymakers. In previous years, guest lecturers have included a former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs who has chaired international panels and commissions, senior diplomats, officials and advisers in the sector and the head of a Diplomatic Mission to Australia. The subject has a very practical focus, and all lecturers speak from their own extensive and diverse experience. The subject focuses on Australian foreign policy and national interest; however, it is not necessary for students to have extensive prior knowledge of Australian foreign policy or politics to successfully complete the subject.

Case studies and specific issues may include:

• The evolution of economic diplomacy, including responses to new international dynamics in trade negotiations and in the G20;
• Australia's multilateral engagement, including as a member of the UN Human Rights Council (2018-20) and the UN Security Council (2013-2014);
• Refugees – international policymaking and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR);
• Bilateral relationship development and management – case studies could include the regions such as South Pacific or Latin America;
• Australia’s bilateral relationship with China – developing policy to advance interests with a great power;
• The role of Intelligence agencies in international policymaking;  
• The international response to genocide and other mass atrocity crimes - the Responsibility to Protect;
• The roles of Ministerial advisers and other stakeholders in the development of trade policy and initiatives; and
• The role of news media in international policymaking.

The subject examines the roles and opportunities for influence of various actors in the sector, such as advisers and MPs, diplomats and departmental officials, and the intelligence community.

This subject focuses on definitions, types and theories of corruption, and on its political, social and economic effects in various parts of the world, particularly since the 1980s. The subject encourages students to problematise the concept of corruption in terms of its varied meanings, and to distinguish it from concepts such as organised crime, shadow economy, and political sleaze. One major issue considered is the extent to which corruption can delegitimise political systems. The subject will explore cultural diversity in interpretations of corruption, and the extent to which different cultural and systemic factors appear to exacerbate or reduce corruption. There will be a particular focus on the possible connections between corruption and neo-liberalism. On completion, students should have a sophisticated understanding of corruption in the contemporary world, what causes it, how it is measured, and how it is combated. Students should also be able to provide an advanced cost-benefit analysis of corruption in political, economic and social terms.

Governing Money and Finance is an elective subject available to students enrolled in the Master of International Relations and other masters degree students in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The subject provides an advanced introduction to the comparative and global politics of monetary and financial governance. It will introduce students to international monetary relations over the last century, including central issues of the causes and consequences of cycles of crisis and stabilization; international monetary and financial governance; the regulation of private markets and nonstate actors; and how these relate to power, international cooperation and conflict. Major issues include the use of national and international reserve assets, the domestic and international politics of exchange rate adjustment, the operations and regulation of banks and other institutions in international money and capital markets, market and institutional constraints upon national policy choices, and the politics of monetary and financial crises. The role of international institutions including the IMF, the Basel Committee, the Financial Stability Board, the G7, G20 and regional mechanisms in Europe and Asia will be covered. The subject will employ concepts and theories in political economy and international relations to address these empirical issues. As a political economy subject, the emphasis is upon the evolving political and institutional context in which monetary and financial markets operate and not upon the technical aspects of their operation or upon economic theory. However, some basic concepts and theories in economics will be used to explore the political aspects of monetary and financial governance. Prior knowledge of finance and economics is not required.

This subject investigates the linkage between social policy and development (including economic development) within developing countries. It focuses on the roles played by states, markets and communities in the Asia-Pacific region in responding to key social policy issues such as poverty and welfare, unemployment, old age, health, disability, and the socio-economic position of women. The subject examines how different developing countries attempt to instigate social policy-related change via rational policy formation and implementation, public sector and community leadership, economic-driven change (such as micro-finance schemes), and working with international investment from firms, aid donors and NGOs. Elements of the subject will be presented in conjunction with the Universitas Indonesia and Gadjah Mada Universitas, and the November offering will be delivered on location at Gadjah Mada Universitas, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. In the November offering, teaching will focus more specifically on social policy examples from Indonesia.

This subject aims to offer students a critical examination of the ways in which ageing is socially constructed. Students will learn about ageing from a range of perspectives, including life course, bio-medical, gender, cross cultural, consumer, historical and self-reflection. The subject will focus on how the prevailing social context shapes ideas, relationships, and practices with specific implications for older people. This subject will critically analyse all forms of ageism and how older people are portrayed in literature, media and government policy using case studies from Australia and other countries around the world. Students will be encouraged to reflect on what ageing means to them, how they would like to age and what the impact of an ageing population might mean for future policy development.

This subject focuses on how the body and its systems are affected by ageing and explores the differences between the natural ageing process and physical changes that develop as a result of illness with older persons. Students will also examine the effects of the environment and lifestyle factors on musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological systems that contribute to the experience of ageing and to the individual’s capability to engage with their participation preferences. Understanding the common impairments and physiological changes behind them that occur as part of ageing process provides students with a fundamental base to critically analyse as well as develop strategies for healthy ageing and disease prevention.

The subject examines the influence of private and public/government decision-making on the economic well-being of older people. These decisions include private decisions to prepare for old-age and to live through old-age by saving and managing assets such as housing, superannuation, annuities and other assets and government decisions to provide income support, health care and regulations that aim to protect old people. The influence of behavioural biases, as uncovered by behavioural economics, will be discussed. The subject also covers how an ageing population exerts upward pressure on the taxation required to finance government activities and services for the aged and how this may affect the ‘social contract’, in which the young assist the old in expectation of assistance when they are old from succeeding generations.

This subject explores the ethical issues that may arise at the end of life. Beginning with a multidisciplinary exploration of the concept of the end of life, students will investigate a number of longstanding as well as emerging issues that confront individuals, families, professionals and societies. Students will consider the implications of making decisions in various domains at different stages of the end of life, as well as the potential role of families, friends, carers, health professionals, lawyers, other professionals and policy makers in such decision making.

The subject will focus in particular on the role and responsibilities of professionals working with people preparing for or at the end of their lives. Topics may include historical and cultural perspectives on mortality and the end of life; justice in the distribution of resources at the end of life; the concept of a "good death" and euthanasia; determination of death and deceased donation of organs and tissues; and end-of life care planning and decision-making.

The curriculum for this subject will engage with art as a medium for reflection on ethical issues. Throughout the subject, students will explore a number of artworks independently and with their peers in exercises designed to foster skills in observation, interpretation, and analysis as well emotional engagement.

This subject provides an overview of some of the key ethical issues associated with ageing across the lifespan, with an emphasis on their societal dimensions and implications for policy and professional practice. The skills and knowledge gained by students completing this subject will enhance their ability to engage with the health, social and economic issues of ageing encountered throughout the Masters of Ageing curriculum.

Students will be introduced to bioethical theory and its application in analysis, evaluation and decision making. Martha Nussbaum's account of capabilities for human flourishing will be used to frame the exploration of a number of key issues organized within thematic units of "justice", "autonomy" and "dignity". A final unit will explore ethical issues pertaining to the human quest for "immortality".

Topics covered include diverse historical and cultural perspectives on common ethical issues of ageing; ethical principles for health professionals, care givers and institutions providing for the elderly; age as a criterion for health resource allocation; age-based discrimination and bias in clinical decision-making and employment; international and intergenerational obligations in the context of care giving; and life extension and suspension modalities such as fertility preservation, transplantation and cloning.

This subject looks at the ways in which recent technological advancements can revolutionise the experience, management and future of ageing. Innovations in how we age are explored from multiple perspectives, including how technology can support autonomy and independent living as well as social connectedness to minimise the isolation common in later life.

The subject offers an introduction to the aged care information technology industry and major products and services. Controversial improvements in assistive technologies are covered, such as robotics and sensors that monitor behaviour and health conditions. Lastly, this subject considers technologies for end-of-life support, for longevity and for regenerative medicine. This subject opens up challenges and possibilities for ageing that have implications for older adults, health practitioners, caregivers, service providers, policymakers and researchers.

Population ageing is causing fundamental societal and economic change in many countries and regions throughout the world. Although the opportunities and challenges presented by ageing differ between countries and regions, a global perspective can inform the development of sound policy responses to help individuals and societies to manage the transition to an older population structure. This course guides students through a range of key issues that are faced by societies with population ageing, and encourages them to critically appraise specific policy responses and to identify practical lessons to be learned from the experiences of countries experiencing rapid and advanced ageing. Topics covered include health, mature age employment, retirement and finances, age-friendly housing and environments, wellbeing & community participation, advanced ageing countries and rapidly ageing countries.

This course explores the interface of policy and practice in the delivery of aged care services. The responses to policy shifts in aged care over time will be explored. The course will then focus on the present day impact of health care, mental health, income security, housing, and employment, educational and recreational policies on the delivery of services to older citizens collectively and as individuals. Case studies will be used to illustrate both the theoretical and practical aspects of designing and delivering services.

Formerly FOOD90027

This subject critically examines the scientific, policy and political debates regarding the relationship between food, nutrition and health. The social, economic, commercial, scientific and regulatory processes and structures that shape food consumption patterns, the nutritional quality of foods, and the dietary health of the population will be explored. This includes an evaluation of governments’ food, agricultural and nutrition policies.

Topics include:

• The science and politics of formulating dietary guidelines, nutritional reductionism in nutrition research, and debates over definitions of healthy and unhealthy foods
• Changing dietary patterns, the nutrition transition, food security, the “obesity epidemic”, and other health outcomes
• The socio-economic, commercial and environmental influences on food choices and dietary patterns
• The production, nutritional quality, marketing and consumption of highly processed foods and beverages
• Food industry strategies for food reformulation, and the development and marketing of fortified and functional foods
• Food labelling, and nutrient and health claims regulations
• The use of nutritionally-enhanced crops and fortified micronutrient deficiencies
• Dietary guidelines and choices to create ecologically sustainable food systems
• Policy approaches to regulating food quality, food consumption, food marketing, and food industry practices.

The subject will draw upon the disciplines of the sociology and politics of food systems, food and nutrition policy, public health nutrition and public health, and will consider Australian and international case studies.

The rise of Asia will be a defining feature of the 21st century and holds the potential to generate a paradigm shift in how we understand public policy, administration and management. Australian policy makers are actively turning their attention to the policy, governance and practice changes required to maintain Australia’s economic and political influence in the region, while broadening and strengthening relationships with Asian nations.

This subject will provide students with the necessary foundations for creating, analysing and implementing public policy in the context of the Asian Century. In the first instance, students will consider what is meant by the Asian Century in relation to shifting economic, political and social power and what this means for international relations and governance. Students will explore what it means to be ‘Asia capable’. In particular, the course will examine how key Asian nations view and action public policy in order to understand key differences and similiarities in the way public policy is conceptualized and acted on from a Western perspective. As part of this, students will explore how key Western-style institutions, practices and orientations which comprise ‘public administration’, ‘public management’ and ‘public governance’ might be limited by or changed within the context of increasing Asian influence in the global and regional public policy sphere.

This highly interactive course will engage important theoretical discussions and translate key concepts into practice through the exploration of case studies from across the Asian region. Students will engage with the ongoing public debate about 'the Asian Century' to explore how it may shape the content (i.e. what does public policy include/exclude), construct (i.e. what are the differences in terms of how public policy is viewed) and conduct (i.e. how public policy is made and realised) of future public policy.

Upon successful completion of this subject, students will be better placed to understand and engage with public policy in the context of the Asian Century.

This subject is designed to develop an understanding of the links between contemporary public policy and political communication and lobbying processes, in particular how the political and media environment can be utilised to transform the public policy agendas of interest groups and NGOs into concrete political and legislative outcomes. In a world of increasingly short-term media cycles and fragmented audiences, developers of public policy can no longer rely just on the quality and integrity of their ideas and recommendations to attract and maintain broad-based support. Instead, contemporary public policy is becoming increasingly reliant on ‘campaign style’ forms of political lobbying to achieve community influence as well as traction among government decision-makers. The subject explores the theory and research behind these changes, in particular why certain interest groups and sectors are able to position themselves for public policy success compared to others. The subject gives specific attention to ways to develop and advance public policy through a prism of ‘campaign-style’ political communications and lobbying. These techniques include how to develop public policy narratives that align with the interests of policy and political decision-makers; how to use evidence-based research to build a case for change; forming third-party coalitions to build broad-based support, as well as the use of strategic media to project the benefits of public policy change. The subject’s specific focus is on public policy lobbying campaigns that have occurred or are occurring within the Australian political and public policy environment but its themes and approaches are equally applicable to other contemporary political systems.

Performance management and measurement have become cornerstones of how modern public sector organisations account for what they do. Yet as states, societies and economies have grown and developed in ever increasing complexity, since the end of the twentieth century new ways of thinking about the relationship between governments and their citizens have emerged. These developments have in part been a reaction to measurement-based managerial approaches, but also partly reflect a deeper concern regarding the apparent decline in citizens’ attachment to and respect for the practice of politics. This subject aims to provoke a wide ranging discussion about the role of ‘publics’ (citizens, users, clients, stakeholders, communities, etc.) in public policy and public services through critical engagement with an emerging paradigm of citizen-centred governance. Sometimes called Government 2.0, this approach to public policy and public administration is typically described as networked, collaborative and flexible, with service delivery arrangements which are personalised, choice-based and delivered through multiple channels.

This subject will equip public sector leaders with a theoretical understanding and practical toolbox of approaches to managing a major change management exercise in government. A range of case studies will be used to provide a step by step analysis of the challenges in driving major change. Understanding the underlying factors which lead to effective policy, process and program innovation in government is central to the capacity of governments to deliver better policy and better outcomes for the whole community. We will also critically examine the theoretical underpinnings of newer tools in policy making such as behavioural techniques (‘nudge’), randomised controlled trials and big data. This subject will seek to explain what drives public sector innovation and the structures, processes and individuals that promote and obstruct it. There is a focus on the role of government in driving large scale innovation and how to build a national innovation system that promotes technology and high wage economic growth for a nation.

This subject is based around simulated public and stakeholder consultation exercises where participants test theories and techniques of engagement in order to increase democratic participation and to collect data to inform policy makers. Participants will also be exposed to Big Data and also consider possible future trends. The subject will conclude with a committee reporting exercise where participants will have to negotiate an outcome.

Events like epidemics, earthquakes, floods, bushfires, or financial collapse pose significant challenges to societies that encounter them. Governments engage in crisis management to prepare for, respond to, and recover from such extreme events. Hence, crisis management is a key part of public policy design and implementation. The bad news is that while individual extreme events are rare, crisis of some kind is likely to occur regularly. The good news is that scholars and practitioners have developed ideas and tools for handling them. This seminar will focus on conceptual approaches to and theories of crisis management. In addition to readings selected from the best in the field, students will engage in class group discussions and scenario-based exercises.

This subject offers an opportunity to critically consider the place of older adults in contemporary societies and in social policy. We will examine together how adulthood, from midlife on into deep old age, is socially constructed and the ways in which particular aspects of adult ageing are emphasised in the policy arena. To this end, the subject involves three elements: Firstly, an introduction to key concepts and theories that can be used to understand adult ageing. Secondly, an examination of social problems associated with later life. Thirdly, some of the policy approaches aimed to address problems as identified. Students will be encouraged to reflectively examine their own experience, national policy frameworks and professional practice as part of this process

This subject will examine the impact of international migration on the states, societies, and individuals. Its first segment will address the questions such as why people move and how societies change because of immigration and emigration. The second segment will examine policies concerning multiculturalism and social cohesion. By reviewing various policy examples and case studies, this subject aims to help students understand the realities of international migration and its policy challenges. The third segment will analyze the global governance of international migration, including the roles of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and international laws. This subject is offered by Asia Institute, and will use many case studies of Asian countries, while covering the experiences of Australia, the US, Canada, and some major immigration countries in Europe as reference points as well.

This unit of study will provide students with an introduction to contemporary approaches to the development and evaluation of social policy. In particular, it will enable students to explore ways of involving those whose lives are to be affected by social policy, in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of such policy (e.g., using co-production). The unit will use social, community, human and health services policy as case studies, with a particular emphasis on contemporary social policy as it relate to people with disability and disability service provisions. The seminars will include the participation of people with disability as experts in their lived experience of the implementation of social policy, as well as industry experts from community services and government agencies. Students will be expected to contribute to seminars based on both their own research conducted as part of the unit and, wherever possible, from their own lived experience of social policy development and implementation.

Do we live in a Big Society; a social investment state; a socially inclusive society or a global economy? How can we make sense of policy and programs in the context of seemingly ever-changing paradigms and politics? What is the role of social policy in the face of enduring inequalities and new social risks?
Drawing on sociological and social policy frameworks and practice knowledge, this subject addresses key challenges associated with the translation of policy into practice in local and international contexts.