Free speech the loser in Australia's defamation bonanza

By Michael Bachelard
Updated May 12 2017 - 12:13am, first published May 11 2017 - 10:59pm
SMH Sydney. Reporter: Michaela Whitbourn. Lunch with the SMH. District Court Judge Judith Gibson. Judge Gibson is a  defamation list judge. Photo: Peter Rae Tuesday 11 August 2015. Photo: Peter Rae
SMH Sydney. Reporter: Michaela Whitbourn. Lunch with the SMH. District Court Judge Judith Gibson. Judge Gibson is a defamation list judge. Photo: Peter Rae Tuesday 11 August 2015. Photo: Peter Rae

Australia's punishing defamation laws have made Sydney the libel capital of the world, and people posting on Facebook and in blogs are the latest target for expensive legal action and threats.

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