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ARTICLE · 03 MARCH 2023

Stage 2 Defamation law reforms - what to expect in 2023 and beyond

Bartier Perry Solicitors
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The next stage of reform aims to modernise Australia's defamation laws to align with social media and internet usage.

AustraliaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Adam Cutri
Adam Cutri
David De Mestre
David De Mestre
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Australia's defamation laws face further changes in addition to the reforms made to the Defamation Act, which commenced on 1 July 2021. We explain those earlier legislative developments here.

The next stage of development focuses on modernising Australia's defamation laws to align with current social media and internet usage, following landmark High Court decisions in Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Voller & ors [2021] HCA 27 (Fairfax v Voller) and Google LLC v Defteros [2022] HCA 27 (Defteros).

This article identifies what we know so far about the proposed reforms and discusses what claimants and practitioners may expect to see in defamation law in 2023 and beyond.

Proposal history

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