ARTICLE · 16 JUNE 2023

What is a Concerns Notice under defamation laws in New South Wales?

Sydney Criminal Lawyers

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A concerns notice is a letter by an aggrieved person to an alleged publisher of defamatory statements about them.

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Former Federal Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds, has sent a letter of concern – a pre-emptive signal of potentially launching a defamation suit – against Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek in the latest spin-off lawsuit from the high profile criminal prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann over ultimately unproven allegations of sexual assault.

Senator Reynolds – in whose office the incident was alleged to have occurred in, in 2019 – has sent a letter of concern over statements Ms Plibersek made during an interview with Channel 7 that implied Ms Reynolds had acted inappropriately during the investigation of Ms Higgins' allegations and had attempted to “hide the commission of a criminal offence.”

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