One of Australia’s top defamation barristers, Sue Chrysanthou SC, has slammed the Federal Government’s proposed anti-trolling legislation as a ‘violent assault’ on defamation law that risked leaving victims worse off.
Speaking before a Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee hearing on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Chrysanthou said the proposed Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill 2022 is “misconceived and should not proceed.”
READ MORE: Christian Porter and barrister Sue Chrysanthou ordered to pay $430,200 in legal costs.
She added that the Bill does nothing to address online abuse or trolling, and is an attempt to remove the liability held by owners of social media pages for any defamatory materials posted on those pages.
If passed, the Bill would also create the requirement for social media companies to identify people if they post potentially defamatory material.
READ MORE: Christian Porter’s defamation barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, faces legal action.
Ms Chrysanthou said “countless experts, including professors of law expert in defamation, oppose this legislation” and she encouraged the Federal Government to listen to these experts.
“The government should listen to these experts and work with them to draft a new bill that covers the field of defamation and strikes a balance between all of the competing interests,” she said.
READ MORE: Sue Chrysanthou is one of three laywers helping Christian Porter sue the ABC for defamation.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
