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Brendan Walker-Munro

Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
Dr Brendan Walker-Munro is a Senior Research Fellow with the University of Queensland's Law and the Future of War research group. Brendan's research focus is examining the frameworks for establishing civil and criminal liability for the use of autonomous weapon systems, both in Australia and internationally.

Brendan has completed a number of appointments in investigation and law enforcement roles across diverse government agencies over ten years, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Fair Work Building & Construction, the NSW and Queensland Offices of Liquor and Gaming, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Prior to joining the University of Queensland, Brendan worked with the Australian Taxation Office to develop lawful uses of data and analytics for investigative and compliance programs. Brendan is admitted to practise law in the Supreme Court of Queensland and also holds an appointment as a Member to both the Queensland Councillor Conduct Tribunal and the Disciplinary Panel of CPA Australia.

Brendan has been awarded a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology from Murdoch University, a Bachelor of Neuroscience (Honours) from the University of Western Australia, a Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Southern Queensland and a PhD from Swinburne University.

A student’s visa has been cancelled for links to ‘weapons of mass destruction’

May 15, 2024 07:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Over the weekend, Queensland University of Technology PhD student Xiaolong Zhu became national news and not for a good reason. Zhu is a Chinese citizen, and his visa to study in Australia has been denied on the grounds of...

What do TikTok, Bunnings, eBay and Netflix have in common? They’re all hyper-collectors

Jul 23, 2022 16:25 pm UTC| Technology

You walk into a shopping centre to buy some groceries. Without your knowledge, an electronic scan of your face is taken by in-store surveillance cameras and stored in an online database. Each time you return to that store,...

Economy

Singapore Manufacturing Output Falls Sharply in February Amid Weak Biomedical Demand

Singapores manufacturing sector unexpectedly contracted in February, with output falling 1.3% year-on-year, defying forecasts of a 7% increase, according to data from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The...

Dollar Retreats as U.S. Confidence Wanes and Tariff Fears Loom

The U.S. dollar pulled back on Wednesday amid weak consumer confidence data and growing concerns that sweeping tariffs could hinder U.S. economic growth. The greenback dipped about 0.5% against the yen overnight, falling...

BOJ Signals More Rate Hikes as Inflation Nears Target

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda stated on Wednesday that the central bank may continue raising interest rates if Japans economy and inflation follow current projections. The BOJ recently raised its short-term...

Oil Prices Rise on Venezuela Tariff Threats and U.S. Inventory Drop

Oil prices edged higher in early Asian trading on Wednesday amid concerns over tighter global supply. The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries importing oil and gas from Venezuela, a...

Wall Street Steady as Trump Tariff Deadline Looms, Economic Data in Focus

U.S. stock index futures held steady Tuesday evening as investor caution persisted ahead of President Donald Trumps upcoming tariff decisions and key economic data releases. SP 500 Futures edged up 0.1% to 5,831.25, Nasdaq...

Politics

Trump Signs Order Requiring Voter Citizenship Proof, Sparks Controversy

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday mandating proof of citizenship for voters and rejecting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. The move aims to tighten election security but is...

Trump Suggests Insider Linked Journalist to Secret Military Chat

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that a staffer connected to national security adviser Mike Waltz may have added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a classified chat among U.S. officials discussing sensitive military...

Thai PM Paetongtarn Survives No-Confidence Vote, Reinforces Coalition Strength

Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra easily survived her first no-confidence vote in parliament, securing 319 out of 488 votes. The vote followed a two-day censure debate led by the opposition, targeting her...

Anduril Eyes Global Expansion Amid Trump-Era Defense Shift and AI Partnership

Anduril Industries, the AI-powered defense tech startup founded by Palmer Luckeywho left Facebook following his support for Donald Trumpis optimistic about renewed momentum under a potential second Trump administration....

U.S. Intel Warns of China’s Rising Military, Cyber and AI Threat Amid Taiwan Tensions

China poses the top military and cyber threat to the U.S., according to the latest Annual Threat Assessment by American intelligence agencies. The report highlights Beijings growing capabilities to potentially seize Taiwan...

Science

What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on...

A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away

The planet WASP-121b is extreme. Its a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star50 times closer than the Earth does around the Sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces...

What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like youre living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around...

Asteroid has a very small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but a collision could devastate a city

In December 2024, astronomers in Chile spotted a new asteroid streaking through the sky, which they named 2024 YR4. Whats significant about this 100m-wide space rock is that it has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2023....

Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve

Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...

Technology

BYD to Launch 500 Ultra-Fast EV Charging Stations in April, Doubling Tesla’s Speed

Chinese EV giant BYD (HK:1211) is set to roll out its groundbreaking megawatt fast charging technology by early April, aiming to outpace rivals like Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in the competitive Chinese electric vehicle market....

Nvidia Faces New Hurdles in China as Energy Rules Threaten AI Chip Sales

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is under fresh pressure in China as new energy efficiency regulations threaten to limit the sale of its artificial intelligence chips, according to the Financial Times. The National Development and...

DeepSeek Launches V3 AI Model With Major Performance Boost and MIT License

DeepSeek has rolled out an upgraded version of its artificial intelligence model, V3-0324, boasting significant improvements in reasoning and programming capabilities. The update, quietly released on GitHub, also marks a...

AI Datacenter Bubble? Alibaba's Tsai Raises Red Flags Amid Soaring Investments

Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Chairman Joseph Tsai has issued a warning about a potential bubble forming in AI datacenter construction, citing the growing disconnect between infrastructure development and actual demand. Speaking at...

PsiQuantum Eyes $750M Funding to Scale Quantum Chip Production with BlackRock's Backing

Quantum computing startup PsiQuantum is raising at least $750 million at a $6 billion pre-money valuation, with BlackRock reportedly leading the round, according to sources familiar with the matter. The funding aims to...