skip to content

Refine results


Search by

Search by Algolia
Law Handbook banner image

Offer to make amends

If a publisher receives a written concerns notice from a person claiming to have been defamed, the publisher can make an 'offer to make amends'. Such an offer must include publishing a reasonable correction and paying expenses reasonably incurred by the person defamed. It may also include an apology and compensation. Such an offer must be made within 28 days of receiving the notice, or within 14 days or receiving further particulars. The offer must be open for acceptance for a minimum of 28 days. If the offer is accepted, that is the end of the matter.

If the offer is not accepted but is later found to have been 'reasonable', then the fact that an offer was made in an appropriate form and within an appropriate time will provide the publisher with a defence to the action.

A statement or admission made in the making of an offer to make amends is not admissible in evidence [s 19].

Commencing court action

Importantly, see Time Limits.

Defamation actions tend to be time consuming and expensive. Delays in the Courts often mean that an action is decided long after the cause of grievance has been forgotten by all but the parties involved. At the end of a case a Court can only award monetary damages or an injunction, see Remedies. The Court cannot order an apology.  An apology is a separate matter, see Apologies. Reliving hurtful events is stressful and the emotional trauma of defamation can seldom be cured by the satisfaction of winning a case or from compensation. Litigation should not therefore be commenced without careful thought and expert legal advice.

Generally, defamation proceedings cannot be commenced without the aggrieved person first issuing the publisher a concerns notice setting out the defamatory imputations [s 12B]. This allows the publisher 28 days to respond with an offer to make amends [s 14(2)(b)] or a request for further particulars, by giving the aggrieved person a written further particulars notice [s 12A(3)]. The aggrieved person has 14 days to provide the further particulars [s 12A(4)]. In the event that the aggrieved person fails to provide the reasonable further particulars within 14 days of receiving the notice for further particulars then it is taken that they have not published a concerns notice. If the aggrieved person provides further particulars after 14 days have already elapsed since giving the concerns notice, then the publisher has a further 14 days to respond with an offer to make amends [s 14(2)]. If the aggrieved person provides further particulars before 14 days have elapsed since giving the concerns notice, the period remains 28 days from the concerns notice [s 14(2)(b)].

The Court may give permission for proceedings to be commenced before the response period has elapsed if the plaintiff satisfies the Court that time limit to issue proceedings is about to expire or if it is just and reasonable to do so [s 12B(3)].

It should be noted that a defamed person may elect to (but is not required to) serve a pre-action document on the publisher prior to the commencement of defamation proceedings under the Uniform Civil Rules 2020 (SA). A pre-action document has additional requirements on both the aggrieved person and publisher to that of the Defamation Act.

Legal advice should be sought before commencing court action.

Apologies

An apology is not a defence to a claim of defamation. If a publisher apologises, that apology does not constitute an admission of fault and cannot be used to determine liability in a defamation action. It is supposed that a properly published apology minimises the damage done by the original publication. Where an offer of apology is made it can be used as evidence to mitigate (reduce) damages [Defamation Act 2005 (SA) s 36(1)(a)].

    Offer to make amends  :  Last Revised: Fri Jul 9th 2021
    The content of the Law Handbook is made available as a public service for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. See Disclaimer for details. For free and confidential legal advice in South Australia call 1300 366 424.