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National Clerkship System

Mobility of students between states has increased markedly as jurisdictions in Australia have moved to Practical Legal Training for law graduates. However, due to the disparate and fragmented seasonal clerkship systems in Australia it is still very difficult for students to seek a graduate position interstate

Many law firms are recruiting almost exclusively from students who have previously completed clerkships. As a result, completing a clerkship in effect becomes a pre-requisite for a graduate position.

As a result of the different dates, students are faced with the choice of rejecting local offers on the hope that they will receive a clerkship in another jurisdiction, or vice versa.
ALSA is pushing for a single national date for clerkship offers so that students can complete seasonal clerkships in different jurisdictions without having to gamble their future career prospects.

More Information can be found here:

Article in The Australian, 3 October 2008

Disclosure of Students' Disciplinary Records for Admission.

Following the recent review and overhaul of the legal admission process in Victoria, the Victorian legal admission rules now require students to seek a disciplinary report from their institution, which is provided directly to the board of examiners.  The admission rules require disclosure of 'any disciplinary action, however described'.

The introduction of this rule is seen by ALSA as problematic.  While we agree that disciplinary hearings must be disclosed, what institutions define and record as 'disciplinary action' can vary from outright plagiarism to a simple warning that more citation is needed.  There is a wide discrepancy between different institutions in the management of academic and general misconduct, and hence it is very difficult to produce such a report with any degree of consistency.  Furthermore the new rule also requires disclosure hearings where a charge of misconduct has not been upheld.

The change is also effectively retrospective, and as a result many students who are finishing now would not have kept records of disciplinary warnings/hearings in their first few years of study.

It also creates problem for uniform admission, as interstate institutions must still prepare such a report, despite the fact that their local admission rules do not require it.

ALSA is working with the Council of Australian Law Deans on this issue, as well as putting together a submission to the Board of Examiners in Victoria.

Bradley Higher Education Review

ALSA  recenlty prepared a lengthy submission for the Bradley Higher Education Review.  This review has been initiated by the Rudd Government, and is expected to provide a major overhaul of the funding and structure of Higher Education in Australia.

Law Schools have been at the loosing end of funding within the higher education sector since 1991.  ALSA is committed to ensuringadequate funding is provided for all law schools.

We have been providing comment for the debates in various newspapers on this issue, as well as working with AMSA (Australian Media Student Association) to produce a joint response when the results of the review come out.

ALSA's submission can be found here:

Submission the Bradley Higher Education Review

Bradley Higher Education Review Website - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

VSU Submission

VSU has had a significant impact on LSS's around the country, particularly those from smaller and rural campuses that are dependent on amenities fees.  ALSA opposes VSU, and has recently made a submission to the Commonwealth Government Inquiry on the impact of VSU.

More information can be found here:

Submission to the Review on the Impact of VSU on Services, Ameneites and Representation

Review on the Impact of VSU - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Melbourne Model

ALSA has published several submissions regarding the University of Melbourne Degree restructuring, focusing on the impact on the Law School and equity issues.

Equity and the Melbourne Model

Final Report on the Melbourne Model