Dr Cynthia Banham
Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts/Law, Macquarie University; Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice, UTS; Graduate Certificate in Journalism, UTS; Masters of International Affairs with Distinction, Doctor of Philosophy in Regulation, Justice and Diplomacy, ANU

Cynthia is a Visitor at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet). She is the author of two books, A Certain Light: A Memoir of Family, Loss and Hope (Allen & Unwin: 2018), and Liberal Democracies and the Torture of Their Citizens (Hart Publishing: 2017). In 2016 she completed a Post-doctoral Fellowship with RegNet’s Centre for International Governance and Justice and in 2017 she was a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, in the School of Political Science and International Studies. Cynthia was awarded Doctor of Philosophy in Regulation, Justice and Diplomacy at ANU, in 2015. She has a Master in International Affairs from the ANU and a Bachelor of Arts/Law from Macquarie University. She has worked as a solicitor and as a journalist, and was the foreign affairs and defence correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald in the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Cynthia is an ambassador for the Sydney Swans Football Club.
Research interests:
International human rights law; international relations; civil society and political accountability; use of torture in Liberal democracies; and politics and media

Cynthia Banham shortlisted for the 2019 Prime Minister's Literary Award
ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) visitor and RegNet alumna__Cynthia Banham

Liberal democracies and the torture of their citizens
Journalist Richard Ackland comments on ‘Liberal democracies and the torture of their citizens’

Civil society resistance in liberal democracies in a time of rising non-accountability
How far will governments go to prevent scrutiny of their actions and how can civil society effectively resist anti-democratic government policies?

Brave new world
“You’ve got lawyers, political scientists, philosophers and anthropologists, and I think you need that breadth of expertise to come to grips with something as complicated as ‘why torture?’

Regarding Rights blog - Cynthia Banham
Since Christmas 2014, it’s been possible to buy a book version of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program. Why?

RSAP grants for RegNet scholars
Projects exploring human rights in Hong Kong, sustainable food systems, torture and the Asia Pacific, transparency and integration of immigrants in Australia all receive RSAP funding.

RegNet celebrates four graduations
RegNet celebrated the graduations of Cheryl White, Cynthia Banham, Sekti Widhartanto and Fanny Huang after the July graduation ceremony.

Two RegNet scholars selected for ARC Laureate mentoring scheme
Gemma Carey and Cynthia Banham have been selected to take part in the ARC Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellowship mentoring scheme.

Regarding Rights blog - Australia’s response to international criticism of asylum seeker detention
Cynthia Banham from the Centre for International Governance and Justice, RegNet, ANU, writes about Prime Minister Abbott’s reaction to a report prepared for submission to the UN Hman Rights Council.

Cynthia Banham on civil society expectations in the case of David Hicks
RegNet alumnus Cynthia Banham writes about the politics surrounding David Hicks’s return in The Guardian in her article, ‘Civil society’s expectations have always been low in the matter o

Regarding Rights: Torture admission by USA at UN treaty body review
Cynthia Banham writes about the USA appearing before the UN Committee Against Torture and admitting to the use of torture as a matter of policy after 11 September 2001.

Author(s): Cynthia Banham
Date of publications: 2018
Publication type: Book chapter

Author(s): Banham, Cynthia
Date of publications: 2017
Publication type: Book

Author(s): Banham, Cynthia
Date of publications: 2015
Publication type: Working paper