Every day throws up a different issue. It could involve providing around-the-clock pre publication advice to mainstream and online media; advising corporate and government clients on reputational issues; or managing threats of litigation from some of the best lawyers in the country, as well as the litigation itself. In each case, I always aim to minimise the damage clients are exposed to.

It is a privilege to be involved in many of the high-profile stories that break daily. Increasingly, social media issues are becoming central – and time is of the essence.

Career highlights

• Chair, International Bar Association (IBA), Legal Practice Division
• Past Chair IBA Strategy Working Group, Projects Committee and IBA Treasurer
• Past Chair, MinterEllison
• One of Australia’s leading Media and Communications law experts. Ranked “Star Individual“ in the TMT Media category by Chambers Global , the only Australian to receive the top ranking in that category
• Heading the defence team in the Ben Roberts-Smith Libel case , dubbed by the Australian Media as the “Defamation Trial of the Century,”
• A candidate for the position of the next Secretary General of the IBA
• Had our team ranked Tier 1 in every international directory
• Acting for leading mainstream and online publishers in Australia and internationally, including defending defamation cases for Fairfax Media Limited and the Nine Network
• Represented many Government Departments, public servants and politicians, when threatened with defamation actions
• Domain – defended claims of misleading and deceptive conduct brought by realestate.com.au
• Qantas Group – worked on a large volume of deep vein thrombosis cases against the airline in the highest courts in Australia, the UK, and the US.
• Served on the MinterEllison Board for more than 20 years and was elected Chair
• Chaired and served on many boards related to government and the media including Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Trust, State Sports Centres Trust and Melbourne Recital Centre Board
• Currently serving as Chair of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association, overseeing over 100 Business related Committees.

Publications

• What it took to win Australia’s biggest defamation trial, Lawyers Weekly (20 June 2023)
• Tears at 4am in Iceland over Roberts-Smith verdict, Australian Financial Review (8 June 2023)

Education
BJuris, LLB

• Advisory Board member to the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law of the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law
• International Committee, Media Law Resource Centre (MLRC) New York, member
• Ethics Committee, member, Media Law Resource Centre (MLRC)
• Life Member, Melbourne Press Club
• Council of Court Reporting, member, Supreme Court of Victoria 
• Media Judiciary Liaison Group, member, Supreme Court of Victoria 
• Member, Australian Olympic Committee, National Federation Appeals Tribunal 
• Fellow, Centre for International Legal Studies, Austria 
• Media and Communications, Committee, member, Law Council of Australia 
• Centre for Advancing Journalism, Chair Advisory Board, Melbourne University 
• Assistant Treasurer, International Bar Association (IBA) 
• Member IBA Council , Management Board, Risk and Audit Committees, New Media Working Group 
• Board Member, Melbourne Recital Centre
• Member Strategy Board, World Services Group

• Four lessons for media companies after major defamation payout
  

  Following the largest defamation payout to a single person in Australian history, we outline some key lessons for media companies and journalists.

• Legal profession's recommendations on improving pandemic management in law
  

  The International Bar Association's COVID-19 Legal Policy Task Force has released a report recommending law reforms to improve the global response to pandemics.

• An expensive Facebook rant
  

  A Federal Court judge has awarded $875,000 in damages for a series of defamatory Facebook posts. This case illustrates that significant defamation payouts are no longer reserved for large media organisations. This article considers the steps you can take to ensure your organisation is protected.

   

• Freedom of the press in the age of secrecy
  

  We consider the proposed reforms in the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security review.

• Six legal considerations to keep your podcast streaming
  

  Is your podcast starting to take off? To avoid problems with your podcast in the future, don't forget to consider your legal risks.

   

• Peter Bartlett appointed co-chair of IBA's Legal Policy Task force to tackle COVID-19
  

  The International Bar Association (IBA) has formed an executive task force to assess policies relating to COVID-19 responses.

• MinterEllison Partner Peter Bartlett appointed as IBA Legal Practice Division Chair
  

  Mr Bartlett will be the first person from Asia-Pacific to hold the position.

• Reforming Australia's outdated defamation laws: MinterEllison submission
  Our submission to the Council of Attorneys-General Review of the Model Defamation Provisions calls for greater protection for freedom of expression under Australia's defamation laws, which are strongly slanted in favour of plaintiffs and represent a pervasive limitation on journalism.
• New IBA Ukraine Anti-Corruption Committee taskforce developed
  

  MinterEllison Partner Peter Bartlett played a ing role in the initiative, which will help in Ukraine's reconstruction efforts.

• Landmark defamation decision: Facebook page hosts now liable for comments
  A landmark court decision is likely to have profound implications for hosts of public Facebook pages in Australia.
• ACCC seeks to restore balance in the media industry
  The ACCC's Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report (Report) has made recommendations that could significantly impact the regulation of the media industry and digital platforms, and the future for media organisations in the digital era.
• False Information in the Time of Coronavirus: Law and Regulation in the U.S. and Australia
  

  False or mising information in the media is not a new phenomenon but during the coronavirus pandemic, governments around the world have sought to enact new laws and regulations, or to strengthen existing rules, in order to address it.

• Truth defence succeeds in ‘defamation trial of the century’
  

  Federal Court finds in favour of Nine newspapers against Ben Roberts-Smith. The judgement is a win for investigative journalism and the public’s right to know.

• National defamation law reform: Changes considered
  

  Australia's outdated defamation laws have long been slanted in favour of plaintiffs. However, the 'plaintiff's bonanza' may be somewhat tempered by the recent passage of the Defamation Amendment Bill 2020 (NSW) on 6 August 2020.

• VLRC Contempt of Court Report implications for the media
  

  The Victorian Law Reform Commission's proposed a shake-up of the common law contempt of court framework holds troubling implications for Australia's already stark media landscape. Our team analyses the implications.

• Point of View: Peter Bartlett on defamation law
  

  MinterEllison's Peter Bartlett led the defence team for Nine in their recent defamation case brought by former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. The case was one of the world's largest, most complex, and costly defamation actions. We ask Peter Bartlett for his point of view on how the case and Nine's decision to successfully use the truth defence will impact Australia's defamation law.

• ACCC calls for competition reforms that will impact digital platform operators and beyond
  The ACCC has concluded its long-running Inquiry into digital platforms in Australia. It set out its findings and a detailed set of recommendations in its final report released on 26 July 2019.
  
• High profile and high stakes
  MinterEllison is regularly called upon to contribute its expertise on media law for some of the country's biggest media names, including Fairfax, BuzzFeed, Private Media, the ABC, SBS and International Media companies.
• How journalists can reduce defamation risk
  

  A recent decision illustrates some of the steps that journalists can take to improve their prospects of being protected by qualified privilege.

• Landmark Case in Australia: Court Awards Damages for Defamatory Social Media Posts in Teacher's Favor
  

  Court orders $105,000 in damages for defamatory tweets and Facebook posts

• High Court decision makes companies liable for defamatory Facebook comments
  

  In a landmark defamation case, the High Court of Australia has held that media companies are 'publishers' of the comments by third-party Facebook users on their Facebook posts.

• Protecting your corporate reputation during a crisis
  Picture this: you are just about to grab a coffee during a busy day when your phone rings. You answer the call. A reporter is on the line and you are about to be tomorrow's front page news for all the wrong reasons. A crisis is breaking ... how do you respond? This article gives guidance on how you should handle the media during a crisis and rebuild your reputation after a crisis.
• Putting the brakes on costly internet defamation cases? The decision in Bleyer v Google Inc
  
• Online anonymity is not guaranteed: Google ordered to identify user behind online review
  A new case, where the Federal Court of Australia ordered Google to reveal the identity of an anonymous user who posted an allegedly defamatory review, will have implications for how people post reviews online.