Defamation 50th Anniversary NPA Seminar Series

Federal jurisdiction in defamation actions and related matters

The Federal Court is pleased to invite practitioners to the Other Federal Jurisdiction (OFJ) National Practice Area Seminar, presented as part of the Court’s 50^th Anniversary program.

Claims in defamation have become a significant part of the Federal Court ‘s OFJ National Practice Area. This seminar will examine the development of the Court’s defamation jurisdiction and contemporary issues arising in defamation proceedings.

Former Federal Court judge, the Hon Tony Besanko KC, will draw on his extensive judicial experience in the area to consider historical aspects of law of defamation, together with contemporary issues affecting claims that have recognised in recent decisions of the Court.

During his 18 years as a Federal Court judge, Mr Besanko KC sat on many of the leading cases in this field both at trial and on appeal, including delivering judgment in Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd (No 41) [2023] FCA 555; 417 ALR 267 and Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Chau Chak Wing [2019] FCAFC 125.

Speaker

The Hon Tony Besanko KC served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia from 2006 to 2024.

Mr Besanko KC graduated from the University of Adelaide with First Class Honours and commenced his legal career as a solicitor in 1978. He was called to the South Australian Bar in 1984 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1994. At the Bar, he maintained a broad practice across commercial law, equity, public law and common law and served as President of the South Australian Bar Association from 2000 until his appointment to the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2001.

Mr Besanko KC served on the Supreme Court of South Australia until his appointment to the Federal Court in 2006. During his tenure at the Federal Court, he also served as a judge, and later Chief Justice, of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island between 2013 and 2024, and as an additional judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

Following his retirement from the Federal Court, Mr Besanko was appointed an International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court in January 2025. He is also a member of chambers in Adelaide and London, where he practices as an arbitrator, mediator, neutral evaluator and expert.