This subject studies the law and the context, which affects the formation and regulation of families in our changing society. It focuses on the formation and dissolution of marriage, decision- making about children, property division, effects of violence, and the indeterminacy of Family Law. Other specific issues focused on include Part VII of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) - aka FLA - and the implementation of the best interest test, emphasis on mediation and private ordering, relocation and the changing legislation's impact on de facto couples, same-sex couples and transsexual people.

This unit may be co-taught with a PG version of the unit.

Learning outcomes

Students who complete this unit will be able to:
1. Identify and explain the core principles of family law;
2. Apply legislation and case law to a hypothetical factual situation involving a family law dispute;
3. Engage in critical analysis of aspects of family law, including the effects of legal indeterminacy, gender and violence;
4. Identify and research family law materials; and
5. Evaluate the law holistically and contextually.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways

Prerequisites

Students must have passed 18 credit points.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

11458 Family Law PG

Equivalent units

7031 Family Law

Assumed knowledge

None.