Defamation in Australia

486 Pages·2015·2.62 MB·English

by  David Rolph

Defamation Law
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
Defamation Law
DR DAVID ROLPH
BA(Hons)LLB(Hons)PhD(Sydney)
Associate Professor
The University of Sydney Faculty of Law
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
PublishedinSydneyby
ThomsonReuters(Professional)AustraliaLimitedABN64
058914668
19HarrisStreet,Pyrmont,NSW
NationalLibraryofAustralia
Cataloguing-in-Publicationentry
Libelandslander—Australia.
Libelandslander—Lawandlegislation—Australia.
Reputation(Law)—Australia.
Includesindex.
ISBN9780455228570
345.940256
©2016ThomsonReuters(Professional)AustraliaLimited
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
To
JacksonWherrett
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
Foreword
There can be no doubt of the importance of defamation law, not only to the
protection of reputation, but also in its effects upon freedom of speech.
However, any lawyer, practising or academic, who has had to grapple with it
would almost certainly agree with the observation by Dr David Rolph, in the
introduction to his text, that it has a deserved reputation for being arcane,
complex,technicalandobscure.
DrRolphaddresseshowandwhydefamationlawhasdevelopedinthisway.Asis
the case with so many areas of the common law, defamation law is best
understoodbyreferencetoitshistory.Theauthorexplainsitsearlydevelopment,
from multiple sources and over many centuries, and the influences which have
shaped it. He points to the development of a distinctive Australian law of
defamation,followingitsreceptioninthecolonies.
Itmayseemcontrarytotheself-imageof Australiansas“robustandlaid­back”,
the author suggests, that they might resort to an action for defamation, yet the
popularityof theactioninAustraliasuggestsacertaintendernessof feelingsso
farastheirreputationsareconcerned.Theactionbecamesufficientlypopularto
warrant specialist lists in some courts. The management of cases in those lists
mightbethought,bysome,tohavecontributedtothetechnicalitieswhichaffect
this area of the law. Especially is that so with respect to pleadings which, the
authorobserves,aresomethingonwhichdefamationlawappearstobefixated.
Alawhavingasitssubjecttheeffectof publicationsuponaperson’sreputation
cannotbecomprehendedinallitsaspectswithoutanunderstandingof theaims
.de of that law. In addressing this question, the effect of defamation law upon
vrese freedom of expression must be confronted. Dr Rolph’s discussion of the
r sth emphasis placed by Australian law upon protection of reputation over such
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aila HighCourtof Australiaindefencessuchasthatof qualifiedprivilegeisevident
rtsu from the number of appeals it has continued to entertain in recent years. The
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
Foreword
opinionsheexpressesastothestepswhichcouldbetakentosimplifythisareaof
the law provide a valuable contribution to resolving what many regard as
unfinishedbusiness.
TheHonJusticeSusanKiefelAC
HighCourtof Australia
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
Acknowledgments
This book reflects over a decade of researching, teaching, thinking and writing
about defamation law. As a subject for study, defamation law is endlessly
fascinating, in spite of, or perhaps because of, its complexity. In the writing of
thisbook,Ihavebeenfortunatetohavehadthesustainedsupportof anumber
of wonderful colleagues, who have enabled or endured my enthusiasm for
defamation law – Ross Anderson, Wayne Courtney, Arlie Loughnan, Elisabeth
Peden,JoellenRiley,KristinSavell,GregTolhurstandKimWeatherall.Particular
mention should be made of Penny Crossley, who was always available for a
restorative coffee and conversation, and Jacqueline Mowbray, who has acted as
mymostvaluedreader.IwouldalsoliketothankespeciallyBarbaraMcDonald,
whosefriendship,mentoringandadvice,deliveredwiththeserenestylewhichis
herhallmark,hasbeeninvaluabletome.
In the research and writing of this book, I have been fortunate to have had the
benefitof excellentresearchassistancefromJoannaConnolly,BowenFox,Sam
Farrell and Alice Zhou. Tom Blackburn SC provided useful feedback on the
manuscript, for which I am extremely grateful. In relation to the editing and
production of the book, I would like to thank Belinda Drake, Lara Weeks,
Patrick Wu and Paul Gye. Robert Wilson also deserves special thanks for his
unwaveringbelief in,andcommitmentto,thisproject.
Finally,andmostimportantly,Iwouldliketothankmyparents,KenandJan,my
sister, Emma, and my nephews, Lincoln and Bastian, who have loved and
supported me throughout this project; Simon Bensley, whose friendship,
humour and intellect is indispensable to me; and Jackson Wherrett, who, more
thananyoneelse,livedthroughthewritingof thisbookandtowhomthisbook
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r sth This book has been supported by funding from a grant from the Legal
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.d NewSouthWales.Theresearchinthisbookhasalsobeenfundedinpartunder
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aila myown.
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.
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Associate, Professor David Rolph. Defamation Law, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Pty Limited, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=4985506.
Created from usyd on 2020-08-19 00:52:11.