'Law has a vitally important role to play in helping us to respond to contemporary challenges. It can provide clarity, guidance, and protection of rights.'
The spark
'Since my early career, I’ve been fascinated by how law has responded to the legal and ethical challenges associated with reproductive technologies and genetics. More recently, I’ve developed interests in legal issues relating to robots and autonomous vehicles.'
Research aim
'My research aims to develop our understandings of the legal, social and ethical issues that arise in relation to new technologies in health care and in public health, and the challenges for law in regulating them.'
Real-world implications
'To introduce new technologies successfully, laws need to be able to address rapidly changing science and technology while still reflecting community values.'
The challenge
'We need to identify rights, values and principles that can inform the development of laws and make sure that our laws remain current and relevant in a changing environment.'
Teaching
'I am committed to guiding and supporting the next generation of scholars. It is wonderful to mentor colleagues and supervise students and to see their careers develop.'
Key achievements
- Member of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research (ACHLR) at QUT and theme leader of ACHLR’s Technology, Innovation and Health theme.
- Member, QUT Centre for Robotics
- Member, Centre for the Digital Economy
- Member, National Transport Commission’s Automated Vehicle Industry Insights Group.
- Chair, NHMRC Embryo Research Licensing Committee (2012-15)
- Community Member, Medical Board of Australia (2009-18)
- Deputy Editor of the Journal of Law and Medicine, a member of Editorial Board for the Journal of Law and the Biosciences and a member of the International Editorial Board of the International Journal of Law in Context.
- My co-edited book, B Bennett and I Freckelton (eds), Pandemics, Public Health Emergencies and Government Powers: Perspectives on Australian Law will be published by Federation Press in 2021.
Key publications
B Bennett and A Daly (2020) “Recognising Rights for Robots: Can We? Will We? Should We?” Law, Innovation and Technology 12(1): 60-80
B Bennett (2019) “Technology, Ageing and Human Rights: Challenges for an Ageing World” International Journal of Law & Psychiatry 66: 101449.
B Bennett and T Carney (2017) ‘Public Health Emergencies of International Concern: Global, Regional and Local Responses to Risk’ Medical Law Review 25(2): 223-239.
The QUT Centre for Robotics builds on a decade of investment in robotic research and translation, which has been funded by QUT, Australian Research Council, Queensland Government, cooperative research centres and industry.
The Australian Centre for Health Law Research is a group of transdisciplinary researchers who conduct innovative research at the intersection of law, health, ethics, and policy. We aim to generate new knowledge to inform reforms to law, policy and practice.
