In the news: defamation and trial preparation access to terrorism suspects

12/06/2018

Law reform and public affairs

The Bar Association's media release and submission on reforms to defamation laws were reported in The Australian yesterday. President Arthur Moses SC has argued that defamation protections must be extended to all Australian companies to bring the country in line with similar jurisdictions overseas.

"It seems rather incongruous that an Australian corporation cannot sue for defamation — even if it suffers significant financial loss — yet international corporations that it competes with in common law jurisdictions like the UK, New Zealand and India, can sue for defamation. This restriction impacts on Australian corporations because there is no level playing field."

Similarly, the Bar Association's media release welcoming new recommendations by the Inspector of Custodial Services to improve access to legal representation for prisoners charged with terrorism offences has been reported in Lawyers Weekly.