Professor James Renwick on national security law and intelligence oversight

11/15/21 • 46 min

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf is joined in conversation by James Renwick, Senior Counsel, Honorary Professor at ANU College of Law, and former Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, to discuss the future of national security oversight.

In this National Security Podcast, Professor Rory Medcalf and Honorary Professor James Renwick explore the role of the judiciary in overseeing and authorising the powers of Australia’s national security agencies and how this might evolve. They discuss James’ experiences as the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) and as a reservist in the Royal Australian Navy, and talk about his important INSLM report ‘Trust but Verify’ which examined the ability of intelligence and security agencies to access communications data.

Honorary Professor James Renwick CSC SC is a member of the NSW Bar, Deputy Judge Advocate General in the Royal Australian Navy, and was the third Independent National Security Legislation Monitor of Australia. As guest editor of the Australian Law Journal James has overseen its latest issue which is a special edition focusing on national security and the law.

Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.

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Previous Episode

Quad Tech Network - A 5G risk and resilience framework for the Quad

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Director of ANU Tech Policy Design Centre Johanna Weaver and Sir Roland Wilson Scholar Jennifer Jackett join Andreas Kuehn from the Observer Research Foundation America to discuss a recent paper, This Connection is Secure: A 5G Risk and Resilience Framework for the Quad.

In this special event recording, Johanna Weaver and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Andreas Kuehn from the Observer Research Foundation America to discuss a recent paper, This Connection is Secure: A 5G Risk and Resilience Framework for the Quad. In the piece, Andreas and his colleague Trisha Ray argue that the Quad countries need to devise effective ways to jointly manage risk and strengthen resilience of 5G components, domestic and foreign networks, and global supply chains. They recommend a common framework for 5G risk and resilience which could help Quad countries allocate their efforts and resources to sustain 5G networks and protect supply chains.

Andreas Kuehn is Senior Fellow with the Cyber Cooperation Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation.

Jennifer Jackett is a PhD candidate at the National Security College and a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar at the ANU.

Johanna Weaver is Director of the ANU Tech Policy Design Centre.

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Quad Tech Network – Biotech in the Indo-Pacific

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Dr William Stoltz and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Dr Dirk van der Kley to discuss Shaping the Quad’s DNA, a paper he’s written for the Quad Tech Network’s QTN Series.

In the years ahead, biotechnology will be one of the most economically lucrative emerging technologies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, three ‘Quad’ governments – Japan, India, and the United States – have all recognised the need for dedicated bioeconomy or biotechnology strategies. In this special event recording, Dr William Stoltz and Jennifer Jackett are joined by Dr Dirk van der Kley from the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance to discuss his recent paper, Shaping the Quad’s DNA: How can Quad countries manage biotech’s opportunities and risks?. In the piece, Dirk argues that the Quad countries should work together on biotechnology standards, ethics, and joint research infrastructure initially, and that the Quad can play a role in shaping security discussions on biotechnology.

Dr Dirk van der Kley is a Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) who specialises in the theory of geoeconomics, international economic sanctions, international economic policy of the People’s Republic of China, and the effect of industrial policy on geopolitics. Dirk is a member of the ANU Working Group on Geoeconomics.

Dr William Stoltz is the Senior Adviser for Public Policy at ANU National Security College (NSC). He is responsible for mobilising the College’s research and resident expertise to influence and inform current public policy debates.

Jennifer Jackett is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar and PhD candidate at ANU National Security College. She is currently on leave from the Australian Government where she held roles across the national security community advising government on issues such as critical infrastructure security, foreign interference, counterterrorism, and international defence engagement.