Justice Legislation Amendment (Integrity, Defamation and Other Matters) Bill 2024

The Justice Legislation Amendment (Integrity, Defamation and Other Matters) Bill 2024 introduces a number of reforms and technical amendments across a range of justice legislation. This Bill Brief examines two parts of particular interest: amendments to the Defamation Act 2005 and to the Crime Statistics Act 2014. It is intended as a helpful overview of some of the key provisions of the Bill.

Australia’s defamation laws are contained in mirrored legislation across all states and territories. The basic provisions for these laws are agreed upon by the Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG), and recently SCAG has reviewed the model defamation provisions that state and territory legislation relies upon. The review has resulted in the following updates contained in this Bill:

• clarification of digital intermediaries’ liability for third-party content; and
• extension of absolute privilege to reports made to police.

The other significant change relates to increased data provisions for the Chief Statistician, who heads Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency. The Bill would allow the Chief Statistician to request data from the courts, and it is anticipated this will support an upcoming review of the Bail Act 1977.

This Bill Brief provides the background to how these proposals came about, outlines the second reading speech and the Bill’s provisions, and finally details some key stakeholder views.