This unit will comprise a detailed study of Australia's defamation laws: Defamation laws as a mechanism for balancing freedom of speech and the right to reputation; Australia's current system of uniform defamation laws; The residual relevance and operation of common law principles; Comparative analysis of corresponding principles in England and the United States; Application of defamation laws to new media including the Internet; Alternatives to defamation law; Defamation law in practice, from pre-publication to trial by jury. -- Course Website