Property Law (11281.2)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Property Law
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra Law School Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Band 5 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Interests in property, especially in land, that are recognised by the law, transactions with them, and disputes about them, are the subject area of this unit. The use of land-based resources has special social, cultural and economic meaning and this is reflected in the law that regulates access to land through the various proprietary interests that may be held in it. Disputes about access to land, whether physical, economic or other access, consequently manifest themselves as legal disputes about these proprietary interests and transactions with them.

This unit is a compulsory unit in the law degree program. Property Law is a foundation stone of many areas of legal practice. The workshop/tutorial program builds toward the practical problem-solving challenges posed in the final exam, which are themselves realistic problems encountered in legal practice.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Analyse and explain the meaning and purposes of the concept of property, Indigenous law and relationships to Country, and current practice with respect to Native Title;
2. Identify the characteristics of proprietary interests, concurrent proprietorship and their relationship to remedies recognised by common law and equity, and classify their position on the traditional spectrum of estates and interests;
3. Apply the principles behind the recognition of proprietary interests, transactions with them, and priority between them, and predict their operation generally and with respect to land within the statutory structure of land title registration;
4. Scrutinise legal practice and policy with respect to transactions concerning personal and real property, and its historical and theoretical explanations; and
5. Critically evaluate current socio-legal issues about land-based resources, theoretical perspectives and likely directions of law reform, and international comparative perspectives.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
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 - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
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 - evaluate and adopt new technology
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 - 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 - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
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
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline


Prerequisites

Students must have passed 24 credit points including 11251 Foundations of Law and Justice.

Corequisites

This unit is only available to students in a Bachelor of Laws course.

Incompatible units

11439 Property Law PG

Equivalent units

7050 Property Law

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Dr Anna Taitslin
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 Online real-time Dr Anna Taitslin
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 Online real-time Dr Anna Taitslin
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Dr Anna Taitslin
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Prescribed Text:

Robert Chambers, Introduction to Property Law (Thomson-Reuters Lawbook, 4th ed, 2019)

Recommended Texts (you are not expected to acquire any of these, however you might find their approach suits your reading style more and there will be multiple copies on short loan in the library or/and electronic copies – some  texts more in-depth and others are more introductory than the prescribed text):

Brendan Edgeworth et al, Sackville & Neave, Australian Property Law (LexisNexis-Butterworths, 11th ed, 2020)

Samantha Hepburn, Australian Property Law: Cases, Materials and Analysis (LexisNexis-Butterworths, 5th ed, 2020)

Michael Nancarrow, Penny Carruthers, Steven White, Christopher Boge, Dominic Cudmore, Astrid Di Carlo, Australian Property Law: Principles to Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

Anthony Moore, Scott Grattan and Lynden Griggs, Australian Real Property Law (Thomson-Reuters Lawbook, 7th ed, 2020)

Richard H Bartlett, Native Title in Australia (LexisNexis-Butterworths, 4th ed, 2019)

Michael Bryan, Vicki Vann and Susan Barkehall-Thomas, Equity and Trusts in Australia (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2017)

J D Heydon, M J Leeming and P G Turner, Meagher, Gummow & Lehane's Equity - Doctrines and Remedies (LexisNexis-Butterworths, 5th ed, 2014)

Rosalind Croucher and Prue Vines, Succession – Families, Property and Death (LexisNexis Butterworths, 5th ed, 2018)

Elizabeth Cooke (ed), Modern Studies in Property Law (Hart, 2001 – present)

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessment items are to be attempted for the completion of the unit

Late submissions will only be accepted under the UC policy framework, and late submission mark deductions will apply. If more than one late submission is made within that period, only the first late submission will be accepted for marking and may be subject to penalties as detailed in the Assessment Procedures. Assignments submitted after this period will not be marked.

Special assessment requirements

General University policy on special assessment requirements applies.

Special assessment, such as extensions and special conditions, should be applied for in writing or email, supported by a justification and evidence.

You are advised to consult the Inclusion and Engagement unit if your claim is based on illness, personal hardship or disability: Inclusion and Engagement

Supplementary assessment

The University of Canberra policy on supplementary assessment applies: Assessment Procedures Policy. To be eligible for supplementary assessment, a student must: be enrolled in their final semester of study; have failed a single unit, with a final mark between 45-49% in the unit; and have passed all other units undertaken in that semester.  The failed unit must be the final unit required to complete the academic requirements of their course.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Students are expected to prepare for lectures and tutorials and participate in the workshops.

There is a strong correlation between participation in workshops and success in this unit. The two-hour weekly workshops are held in weeks 2-13.  Workshop problems and discussion points will be posted with the relevant topic on the corresponding topic page of the unit Canvas site. Material on the relevant Canvas topic pages and in lectures is directly relevant to the problem-solving question/s in workshops.  Weekly workshop preparation increases the level of interaction and enhances the student's enjoyment and level of learning.  There is also a strong correlation between failure to participate in workshops  and failure to succeed in this unit. Workshops are designed to build skills relevant for assessments and examination, thus attending and actively participating in the workshops is recommended to position you for success in this unit. 

Required IT skills

The unit Canvas site, accessed over the internet, is a crucial medium for communication in the unit, including lectures and tutorials.  All assessment is to be submitted in electronic form on Canvas.   Consequently, students need basic computer, internet and word processing skills.

If you feel that you lack these, or any other academic study skills, you should consult the Learning & Academic Success Network: http://www.canberra.edu.au/lasnet

In-unit costs

Your participation can be made much easier by –

  • purchasing the prescribed text, instead of using a copy on three hour reserve in the library, and
  • having access to computing facilities and the internet at home, instead of using only university computer labs.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This is not a WIL unit, however experience through working or volunteering at an organisation involved in property management or transactions will be extremely useful.

Problem solving engaged with during the workshops and tested in the exam involve realistic legal issues that are encountered in legal practice.

Next step

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