Joe Conway (Independent)

Like Senator Nelson Murray, I do not pretend to have any legal expertise given my background. Fundamentally, my concern relates to the possibility of increased costs for the layperson. I understand there is a commitment to alternative dispute resolution in the Bill and the change regarding juries in the High Court is mooted as having the effect of reducing costs and unpredictability in cases. Can the Minister give a guarantee that in those instances, the costs will decrease for the layperson?

I am a bit curious about defamation online and the likelihood that in defending possible defamatory statements online, the people who are using blogs would not be allowed to address these through alternative dispute resolution, meaning they would need legal representation to negotiate the intricacies of what looks to me like manifestly complex proposed legislation.