Federal and state attorneys-general have unanimously agreed to a set of draft laws they say will revolutionise Australia's defamation laws. Defamation is where a person or small business seeks legal redress for loss of reputation due to someone publishing or distributing material that causes others to think less of them.
The proposals aim to modernise a framework introduced in 2006, when all jurisdictions put in place consistent laws based on a national model. But they've been outpaced by technological change, with internet platforms generating an explosion of minor claims.
The attorneys-general say the new draft laws aim to protect responsible public-interest journalism and reduce frivolous lawsuits. New South Wales Attorney-General Mark Speakman, who's led the proposed overhaul, says the unanimous agreement marks a significant moment.
The Council of Attorneys-general have brought defamation law into the cyber age. Today, defamation law in Australia has had a massive reboot. I said a number of times that our defamation laws are no longer fit for purpose, they haven't been looked at for about 14 years. But today, we have fixed that problem.
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