Useful links
Unit of study_
LAWS6305: Workplace Investigations
2026 unit information
Lawyers and HR/IR practitioners are increasingly required to deal with complaints of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination, and address suspected misconduct such as Code of Conduct breaches, fraud/theft, and safety and other breaches. In order to take, and if necessary defend, disciplinary and other action, a proper factual and legal foundation must be established, through a workplace investigation. We also specifically consider how concepts of procedural fairness and natural justice impact a workplace investigation. The unit explores the various stages of a workplace investigation, including: (1) establishing the scope of the investigation and particularizing the alleged complaint or misconduct; (2) conducting interviews and gathering other information; (3) managing participants, including stand down/suspension; (4) evaluating information and making findings applying the relevant standard of proof and legal test(s); and (5) implementing investigation findings. Refer to the Sydney Law School timetable - https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
?
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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LAWS6252 or a law degree and LAWS6071 Labour Law (MLLR students) |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. understand and analyse the legal frameworks and principles governing workplace investigations, including procedural fairness
- LO2. apply legal knowledge and principles to assess workplace scenarios, demonstrating expertise in labour law and human resource management
- LO3. conduct comprehensive workplace investigations, utilising critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication skills in interviewing and reporting.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Intensive August - September 2026
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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