Section 19 — Defamation Act 2005 (NSW)

Inadmissibility of evidence of certain statements and admissions

(1) Evidence of any statement or admission made in connection with the making or acceptance of an offer to make amends is not admissible as evidence in any legal proceedings (whether criminal or civil).
(2) Subsection (1) does not prevent the admission of evidence in any legal proceedings in order to determine—
(a) any issue arising under, or relating to the application of, a provision of this Division, or
(b) costs in defamation proceedings.

Sourced from the New South Wales Legislation website at 8 June 2026. For the latest information on New South Wales Government legislation please go to https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au. Verify the current text against the official source before relying on it.

Related sections

s 16 — Withdrawal of offer to make amends
s 17 — Effect of acceptance of offer to make amends
s 18 — Effect of failure to accept reasonable offer to make amends
s 20 — Effect of apology on liability for defamation
s 21 — Election for defamation proceedings to be tried by jury
s 22 — Roles of judicial officers and juries in defamation proceedings

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