Free defamation concerns notice template (Australia)
A free Australian defamation concerns notice template from Quillio complies with section 12A of the Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) (and equivalents across Australia post-2021 uniform reforms). It identifies the publication, specifies imputations, sets out serious harm, and requests remedies. Service of a compliant concerns notice is mandatory before defamation proceedings can commence. I generate a tailored notice in under 90 seconds.
Section 12A requirements
Under section 12A of the Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) a concerns notice must: be in writing; inform the publisher of the defamatory matter; specify where the matter can be accessed; specify each imputation alleged to be conveyed; and include particulars of any serious harm suffered. A notice that does not meet these requirements cannot support later proceedings under section 12B.
Drafting imputations
Imputation drafting is the most technically demanding part of any defamation pleading. Each imputation must be specific, capable of being conveyed by the publication, and serious enough to meet the threshold in section 10A. Generic imputations ("the plaintiff is dishonest") are too broad. Precise imputations ("the plaintiff deliberately misled investors in the 2024 capital raise") are more defensible.
Serious harm particulars
Since the 2021 reforms, section 10A requires the plaintiff to plead and prove serious harm to reputation. The concerns notice should particularise the harm — loss of reputation in specific communities, loss of business, health impacts. Generic "upset and distress" is not enough. Real evidence of serious harm is what makes a concerns notice take effect.
How I generate concerns notices
Tell me the publication, the imputations you believe it conveys, and the serious harm suffered. I draft a section 12A compliant notice with precise imputations in under 90 seconds. For defamation lawyers this is a high-volume technical workflow where I maintain consistency on section 12A compliance.
Common issues
- Imputations must be specific — general "dishonesty" imputations are often struck out
- Serious harm must be particularised — thin pleadings are vulnerable to strike-out
- The 28-day offer period runs from service, not sending
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