Dr. AJ George
PhD, LLM, LLB (1st Hons)Senior Lecturer - Law
School of Business and Law
Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research
As a senior lecturer at CQUniversity, I bring over 15 years of experience in legal education, research, and practice. I have a PhD in Law from the University of Queensland, an LLM from the University of London (awarded the Derby-Bryce and Roy Goode Prizes), and an LLB from Bond University (awarded the JF Kearney Gold Medal and Una Prentice Award).
My core competencies include law reform and policy work, gendered violence, and innovation policy. I have participated in various government expert groups, round tables, and inquiries, contributing to the advancement of justice and social change. In 2024, I was appointed to the Expert Advisory Group for the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) inquiry into the criminal justice system’s responses to sexual violence. I am a member of the management committee of the Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence, the Advisory Board of With You We Can, a member of the Queensland Law Society's Domestic and Family Violence Committee and a member of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) SaferAI for Children Coalition.
I have written more than 50 peer-reviewed and impact publications, and my doctoral publication was cited by the Australian High Court. In 2023 I led a multidisciplinary team on a major report on Specialist approaches to managing sexual assault proceedings, which was commissioned by the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration and the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. The report is informing the current ALRC inquiry. My team's 2024 cross-disciplinary report, Towards a culturally safe and trauma-informed court: a scoping review of populations that experience increased susceptibility to sexual violence, and the 2023 report, are both published in the Judicial Commission of New South Wales Sexual Assault Trials Handbook (judicial bench book).
I am passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of lawyers and scholars. I have developed and taught cutting-edge undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Group of Eight universities and regional universities, covering topics such as Australian corporations law, intellectual property, artificial intelligence, relational contracting, and human-centred and design thinking. I am also a committee member of the Queensland Law Society Technology and Intellectual Property Committee.
My mission is to use my legal knowledge and skills, and lived experience, to create positive impact in the society and the profession. I am always eager to collaborate with other experts, practitioners, and stakeholders to address the complex and emerging challenges and opportunities in the legal field. I am also committed to fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and diversity in my work environment.
Current research projects.
I have received external funding from the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department for my projects. I have also received internal funding from the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, and Central Queensland University.
Amanda’s current and upcoming research projects include:
- The dynamics of power in reforming the justice response to sexual violence
- The Scottish experience in reforming the justice response to sexual violence
- The effectiveness of s 41 of the Uniform Evidence Act and improper questioning in sexual assault trials
- The impact of stereotyping and stigma in sexual assault trials and its impact on jury deliberations
- Trauma-informed, culturally safe judicial training
- Trauma-informed, culturally safe legal education
Universities Studied At
Bachelor of Laws, Bond University, Australia.
Master of Laws, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, England.
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland, Australia.
Universities Worked At
University of Queensland (2000-2006).
Queensland University of Technology (2007-2008; 2009-2012).
Central Queensland University (2017-present).
Awards
Una Prentice Award - Bond University Law Program, 1996
Law Gold Medal - Bond University, 1996
Derby-Brice Prize (LLM Program) - University of London, 1998
Roy Goode Prize (LLM Program) - Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, 1998
UQ Law Society’s ‘Best Tutor’ award - University of Queensland, 2000
University-wide UQ -‘Excellence in Teaching’ award nominee (law) - University of Queensland, 2002-2004
QUT Vice Chancellor’s Award – Best publication 2011
QUT Vice Chancellor’s Award – Outstanding Teacher, 2012
CQU Student Voice Commendation - Central Queensland University, 2017, 2020, 2021
Media Citations
2024
Australian Capital Territory, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 27 June 2024 (Shane Rattenbury, Attorney-General), speech mentioning AJ George as chief investigator of the report Specialist approaches to managing sexual assault proceedings and using the report to benchmark the ACT’s performance on reforms relating to sexual violence.
Application of my report in legal reform at Territory level
2024
Shari Hams, ABC Digital Desk (Current Affairs), Amanda-Jane George Interviewed on Removal of character references in sexual assault trials’ (5 December 2024)
ABC Digital Desk
2024
Steve Austin, ABC Brisbane (Current Affairs), Amanda-Jane George Interviewed on ‘Removal of character references in sexual assault trials’ (2 December 2024)
ABC Brisbane news
2024
Chris Smith, TNT Radio (24/7 International News), Amanda-Jane George interviewed on ‘Juryless trials’ (11 June 2024).
International 24/7 news
2024
Ellie Dudley, ‘Mandatory jury trials ‘outdated, harm defendants’: lawyers’, The Australian (10 June 2024).
National news
2024
Request for input, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, new model for specialist sexual offences unit, prosecution guidelines, training (meeting, 10 June 2024).
ODPP request for input
2024
Ellie Dudley, Editorial, The Australian: Ipso Facto (17 May 2024).
National news
2024
Ellie Dudley, ‘‘Next pandemic’: Plans to improve outcomes for sexual violence complainants’, The Australian (13 May 2024).
National news
2024
Ruby Mikolaitis (The Cocoon Podcast, Blue Butterfly Institute), Amanda-Jane George interviewed on ‘Reimagining Justice’ (25 February 2024).
Engagement Online Podcast
2023
Parliament of Australia, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia (Report, September 2023) (see 5.51-5.52).
Parliamentary Inquiry
2023
‘Does Australia need dedicated sexual assault courts?’, Women’s Agenda (Online news, 12 October 2023) https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/does-australia-need-dedicated-sexual-assault-courts/
Engagement Online News article
2023
‘Law Reform Call to Jettison Juries for Sex Trials’, The Australian (Canberra, 27 October 2023).
National News Article
2023
ANROWS, Submissions to Victims of Crime Review of criminal justice responses to sexual offending (October 2023)
Submissions
2023
‘ACT Labor MLA calls for better sexual assault proceedings’, Canberra Daily (Canberra, 30 November 2023)
News Article
2023
‘ACT will consider sexual assault court to improve justice system’, Canberra Times (Canberra, 30 November 2023)
News Article
2023
‘Juryless Rape Trials May Come at Price’, The Australian (Canberra, 29 December 2023).
National News Article
2022
Interview, 24 November 2022, Channel 7 Wide Bay Burnett, intellectual property infringement issues.
Media engagement
2021
Henry Silvester, ‘Driverless Law - Beyond 2021’, Lexology (Online Legal News, 17 November 2021) https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ccc1d76b-29d1-443d-bd94-4d2aa380ac86
Online News article mention
2021
Australian Government, Higher Education Research Commercialisation IP Framework, Consultation paper (20 September 2021), p. 4 https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-reviews-and-consultations/resources/higher-education-research-commercialisation-intellectual-property-framework
Govt Con-sultation Paper
2021
Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios, ‘Patently Artificial’, Research Professional News (UK, ExLibris/Proquest) (13 August 2021). https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/australia/Industry/2021/8/Patently-artificial.html
Online News article mention
2021
Amanda-Jane George, ‘AI Robot Recognised as Inventor by Federal Court’, interview with Willy Russo, Sydney 2SER Breakfast (aired 8:40am 9 August 2021). https://d1dbgh6ga9ets8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Dr-AJ-George.mp3
Radio interview
2021
John Ross, ‘Australian commercialisation drive hampered by lack of data’, Times Higher Education News (website, 26 April 2021) https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/australian-commercialisation-drive-hampered-lack-data, also Tweeted by Times Higher Education 26 April 2021.
Online News article mention
2020
Amanda-Jane George, radio interviews, ‘QLRC Review on Consent Laws and Excuse of Mistake of Fact’, excerpts aired on 23 radio stations on 29 and 30 January 2020.
Radio interviews
Professional Experience
McCullough Robertson Lawyers, Special Counsel, 2006-2012.
Professional Memberships
Queensland Law Society
Fellow, Higher Education Academy UK
Key Achievements
High Court citation of my doctoral work: Lockwood Security Products Pty Limited v Doric Products Pty Ltd (2004) 217 CLR 274
Research report, Specialist Approaches to Managing Sexual Assault Proceedings, funded by the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department (Report, 2023).
Impact of this report:
o Included in the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s terms of reference for the current Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into the Justice Responses to Sexual Violence
o Cited [5.51]-[5.52] in the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee report, Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia
o Included in the Judicial Commission of New South Wales Sexual Assault Trials Handbook [7-2120]
o Tabled in the Australian Capital Territory Parliament, used as the basis for an ACT Parliamentary review, and introduction of a new specialist sexual assault court list in that jurisdiction
o Informed the development of the new sexual offences list in Queensland.
Research report, Towards a culturally safe and trauma-informed court: a scoping review of populations that experience increased susceptibility to sexual violence (Report, 2024), joint project between the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research and the CQUniversity School of Business and Law.
o Preliminary results presented at the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration national conference, Enhancing Safe Practice: A National Justice Forum, 4 August 2024
o Included in the Judicial Commission of New South Wales Sexual Assault Trials Handbook [7-2140].
50+ peer reviewed and industry articles, law reform submissions, conference papers, media thought pieces and interviews.
Consultancy Work
National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, 2024.
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 4804 Law in context
Current Capacity
Current Supervision
Law in context - Law and society and socio-legal research
Sexual violence, criminal justice system, justice response to sexual violence
Law in context - Law, science and technology
AI, intellectual property
