Lawful By Design

Time

Session

09:30 – 10:00

Arrival and Registration

10:00 – 10:10

Welcome, Acknowledgment of Country and Introduction

Professor Shiri Krebs, Director of the Centre for Law as Protection, Deakin Law School

Welcome, Overview of the Deakin University Faculty of Law and Business.

10:10 – 10:30

Outline of Workshop

Dr Damian Copeland, Director Article 36 Legal

Workshop’s objectives, the importance and challenges implementing responsible design and development of new military technologies.

10:30 – 11.00

Keynote Address

Major General Jason Blain, DSC, AM,
CSC, Head Land Systems, Capability
Acquisition and Sustainment Group

“Why Legality Matters: Strategic and Ethical Imperatives for Autonomous Weapon Design”

Examining the military, legal, and reputational risks and opportunities in IHL-compliant technology development.

11:00 – 11:30 

Session 1: Australia’s Article 36 Legal Review Process and the One Defence Capability Acquisition
System

Dr Damian Copeland

An overview of Australia’s legal review obligations under Article 36.

11:30 – 12:00

Session 2: IHL and Autonomous Weapons – Core Legal Principles

Dr Renato Wolf, University of New South Wales, Ms Natalie Nunn, Lexbridge Lawyers

Explanation of key IHL rules: distinction, proportionality, precaution, and the Martens Clause, and how these apply to AWS functions, environments, and operational context.

12:00 – 12:45

Lunch (provided)

12:45- 13:30 

Session 3: Ethical and Safety Considerations in Human-Machine Teaming

Dr Zena Assaad, Senior Research
Fellow with the School of Engineering at the Australian National University

Insights from safety engineering and ethical assurance for AI-enabled systems; the relationship between safety, accountability, and legal compliance.

13:30 – 14:15

Session 4: A Functional Approach to Legal Review and Assuring IHL in the Design Process – From Concept to Capability

Dr Damian Copeland, Professor Sunil
Gupta, Head of AI, Optimisation, and
Materials Discovery at Deakin
University’s Applied Artificial
Intelligence Institute.

Can the Machine Tell What’s Lawful? AI Testing for Article 36 Compliance.

14:15 – 14:30

Afternoon Break (provided)

14:30 – 15:45

Session 5: Expert Panel – Responsible By Design Ratings and Interdisciplinary input to R&D

Ms Hollie Johnston (ARC), Dr Assaad, Prof Krebs, and Dr Renic on integrating IHL, ethics, and safety assurance in AWS development. Includes Q&A. 

Session 6: Practical Activity – Applying Responsible
by Design Rating to Scenarios

Participants work in small groups to review and discuss
the Responsible by Design Rating System assessment
of Australia

16:30 – 16:45 

Wrap-up and Reflection

Professor Shiri Krebs, Dr Damian Copeland

Summary of key takeaways, next steps for industry engagement.