A significant part of ALSA’s activities involves research, policy formulation and lobbying on a wide range of legal issues, specifically focusing on legal education. As the peak representative body for law students in Australia, ALSA is uniquely placed to research and collate information relevant to law students. Further, ALSA is able to represent student interests in the legal profession and in legal education forums where they would otherwise have no effective voice.

ALSA has a Vice-President (Education) and two Education Officers who are responsible for maintaining contacts and building resources covering a broad range of issues relating to legal education. In addition to this they undertake a number of comparative information and research projects and liaise with various industry and professional bodies on issues relating to legal education.

Previously ALSA produced the ALSA Honours Guide, the ALSA Mutual Recognition Guide, the ALSA Admissions Guide and the ALSA Careers Guide, in addition to its annual Judges’ Associate Guide and International Careers Guide.

The ALSA Vice-President (Education) sits on the Law Council of Australia’s Education Sub-Committee and Recruitment and Retention Working Group and consults with the Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD) at each of its meetings.

ALSA’s Education portfolio has a presence at the annual July Conference through the Australasian Legal Education Forums (ALEFs) managed in cooperation with the Conference team, which gathers together a panel of experts for a lively discussion on topical legal issues.

In 2008-09, ALSA produced the Depression Handbook, initiated a program to harmonise the clerkship programs on offer nationally, wrote letters to the State and Commonwealth Attorneys-General to advocate for uniform admissions procedures under the National Profession Project, commented extensively upon the Rudd Government’s Higher Education Revolution changes to university funding and Youth Allowance, made submissions on proposed reforms to the Priestley 11 as its major education priorities.

Information about the ALSA Education portfolio’s previous activities can be found below.

Information about the ALSA Education portfolio’s current activities can be found under the ‘Current Issues’ tab.

For more information, contact the 2009-10 ALSA Education Vice-President, Fiona Cunningham.

Past Projects

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