The government response
The Australian Government is encouraged by the enactment recently of substantially uniform defamation laws by all States and the Territories.
The Government will continue to support reform in areas where there is room for improvement. These areas include:
- Not all State and Territory jurisdictions have made provision for juries.
- State and Territory laws do not provide for alternative remedies, such as rights of reply and correction orders, which would help reduce the law's reliance on damages.
- Corporations, with ten or more employees, will not be able to sue for defamation.