The ACT Legislative Assembly has passed new laws as part of a national push to modernise Australia’s defamation laws.

Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said the change strengthens defamation laws in a way that balances the right to freedom of expression and the right of a person to protect their reputation.

The amendments encourage pre-trial resolutions, provide protections against trivial defamation claims and bring the territory in line with other jurisdictions, such as the UK, Canada and NZ.