Australian defamation law has been called a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ of poorly adapted legislation that offers insufficient protection for journalists and is ill-equipped to safeguard ordinary citizens in the digital age. Is it time we scrap the law or give it a dramatic rewrite? Former Melbourne University Press CEO Louise Adler puts these questions to David Marr, Professor David Rolph, and the ABC Life’s Osman Faruqi (who sued Mark Latham in a high-profile defamation case).

<p>Australian defamation law has been called a &lsquo;Frankenstein&rsquo;s monster&rsquo; of poorly adapted legislation that offers insufficient protection for journalists and is ill-equipped to safeguard ordinary citizens in the digital age. Is it time we scrap the law or give it a dramatic rewrite? Former Melbourne University Press CEO Louise Adler puts these questions to David Marr, Professor David Rolph, and the ABC&nbsp;<em>Life</em>&rsquo;s Osman Faruqi (who sued Mark Latham in a high-profile defamation case).</p>

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