Developing Australia's legal response to military and security applications of nanotechnology. A critical regulatory gap exists for military applications of nanotechnology under international law. This project will provide a conceptual framework and policy options to develop Australia's legal response to the use of nanotechnology in military and security settings through collaborations with experts in the United States.
Emerging technologies of warfare as a challenge to the law of armed conflict: cyber-attacks, robotics and nanotechnology. In order to reduce suffering in war, international law places limits on the ways in which the adversary can be harmed. This project will assess how the law fares in dealing with emerging technologies, such as hostile uses of computer networks, robotics and nanotechnology. It will provide guidance to policy makers on how the law can be improved.
Leveraging power and influence on the United Nations Security Council. This project examines the fundamental problem of how elected members on the Security Council can influence Council decision-making and norm development. Assembling a research team of international lawyers and political scientists, the project seeks to provide a rigorous, multi-disciplinary evaluation of why and when non-permanent Council members have succeeded in having impact on the Council's decision-making process. Drawing ....Leveraging power and influence on the United Nations Security Council. This project examines the fundamental problem of how elected members on the Security Council can influence Council decision-making and norm development. Assembling a research team of international lawyers and political scientists, the project seeks to provide a rigorous, multi-disciplinary evaluation of why and when non-permanent Council members have succeeded in having impact on the Council's decision-making process. Drawing on recent experiences of elected members, including Australia, the project is expected to advance evidence-based and empirically grounded policy proposals designed to increase the capacity of elected members to exercise power and influence over the Council's agenda and policy.Read moreRead less
Establishing an optimal legal framework for online privacy. Consumer confidence in the security of personal information is essential for the growth of electronic commerce. To compete internationally, Australia must establish a world-class legal framework for the protection of online privacy. New technologies for collecting and processing personal information pose threats to individual privacy. Other technologies may protect privacy. Increasingly, effective protection of privacy depends upon ....Establishing an optimal legal framework for online privacy. Consumer confidence in the security of personal information is essential for the growth of electronic commerce. To compete internationally, Australia must establish a world-class legal framework for the protection of online privacy. New technologies for collecting and processing personal information pose threats to individual privacy. Other technologies may protect privacy. Increasingly, effective protection of privacy depends upon the coordination of legal rules and technological measures. This project will be the first study to investigate the optimal mix of regulatory tools for the protection of online privacy in Australia. Recommendations will be made to improve Australian privacy laws and policies.Read moreRead less
Optimising access to the Law Reports Series of Australia's war crimes trials, 1945-51. The forthcoming Law Reports Series on Australia’s war crimes trials held in 1945-51 will be, in effect, the official history of the trials. It is vital, therefore, that all users, particularly the Australian public, are provided with the necessary tools to optimally access the Series and thus obtain a comprehensive understanding of the trials.
The Implications of the Convention on Biological Diversity for Infectious Diseases: The Case of Indonesia and Avian Flu. The proposal dovetails with the ARC's National Research Priority Safeguarding Australia while responding to an identified need for multidisciplinary research in biotechnology, economics, epidemiology, law, and public health. A keen national imperative exists to develop appropriate responses to infectious disease which balances policies predicated upon rule-of-law principles ag ....The Implications of the Convention on Biological Diversity for Infectious Diseases: The Case of Indonesia and Avian Flu. The proposal dovetails with the ARC's National Research Priority Safeguarding Australia while responding to an identified need for multidisciplinary research in biotechnology, economics, epidemiology, law, and public health. A keen national imperative exists to develop appropriate responses to infectious disease which balances policies predicated upon rule-of-law principles against imperatives to safeguard public health through vaccine R&D. Read moreRead less
Teachers Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Towards Evidence-based Reform of Law, Policy and Practice. Every year, thousands of Australian children are sexually abused. This causes lifelong psychological, social and economic cost to victims. It also undermines Australia's social fabric, and costs the nation hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Early intervention promotes enhanced health and life outcomes for abused children, and teachers are well-placed to contribute to early reporting of child ....Teachers Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Towards Evidence-based Reform of Law, Policy and Practice. Every year, thousands of Australian children are sexually abused. This causes lifelong psychological, social and economic cost to victims. It also undermines Australia's social fabric, and costs the nation hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Early intervention promotes enhanced health and life outcomes for abused children, and teachers are well-placed to contribute to early reporting of child sexual abuse. This research promotes children's healthy start to life by being the first inquiry to identify the most effective legal and practical strategies for requiring and enabling teachers to accurately report child sexual abuse. It adds further economic and social benefit by finding ways to reduce inaccurate reports of child sexual abuse.Read moreRead less
Legal and Ethical Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza. Over 40 million people in the world died in the 1918 Influenza pandemic. Any repetition could have devastating social and economic costs for Australia and the Region. Community confidence in quarantine or other restrictions in the medical management of pandemics depends on balancing protection of public health against the rights of citizens to go about their work and daily lives. By studying the adequacy of existing human pandemic influenz ....Legal and Ethical Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza. Over 40 million people in the world died in the 1918 Influenza pandemic. Any repetition could have devastating social and economic costs for Australia and the Region. Community confidence in quarantine or other restrictions in the medical management of pandemics depends on balancing protection of public health against the rights of citizens to go about their work and daily lives. By studying the adequacy of existing human pandemic influenza planning in Australia and the Asian region, this project will contribute to law reform and policy development needed to command community confidence in the ethical and public policy balances embodied in national pandemic plans, and the laws and practices which support them.Read moreRead less
Electronic Health Records: Achieving an Effective and Ethical Legal and Recordkeeping Framework. Health records are essential to efficacious treatment and affect every individual. They are 'socially-critical' communications because the therapeutic relationship between doctor and patient is based on trust. Without any systematic ethical and legal safeguards or recordkeeping framework, the application of new technologies for networking health records lacks social credibility. This multidisciplina ....Electronic Health Records: Achieving an Effective and Ethical Legal and Recordkeeping Framework. Health records are essential to efficacious treatment and affect every individual. They are 'socially-critical' communications because the therapeutic relationship between doctor and patient is based on trust. Without any systematic ethical and legal safeguards or recordkeeping framework, the application of new technologies for networking health records lacks social credibility. This multidisciplinary study will provide a set of principles and standards relating to authenticity, ownership, access, privacy, and confidentiality of doctor-patient communications in a networked environment, which, if implemented, will benefit patients and the medical community thus furthering the development of a more efficacious national health system.Read moreRead less
Maritime legal practice and policy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf: synergies and challenges for Australian trade and security. The project will analyse national practice relating to maritime claims and jurisdiction in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf. It will identify areas of instability in the region that may pose a threat to freedom of international navigation and trade.