DEFAMATION (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 3.52 p.m.

The Minister for Law and Science and Technology (Mr E.W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, this is not the time or the place for me to deliver a lecture on the law of defamation. But I think it would be appropriate for me to point out to Members what is libel and what is slander under the law. Simply put, libel is defamation in a permanent form, for example, in writing or in print. Slander is defamation not in a permanent form; the best example being defamation by way of spoken words. The question arises: is broadcasting libel or slander? This moot point has been settled by statute elsewhere and here.

Section 3 of the Defamation Act provides that for the purpose of the law of libel and slander, the broadcasting of words by means of radiocommunication shall be treated as publication in a permanent form. The term "broadcasting by means of radiocommunication" is defined in the existing section 2 of the Act to mean publication for general reception by means of a telecommunication within the meaning of the Telecommunications Act, 1965. This definition has to be up-dated because the Telecommunications Act, 1965, has been repealed and new systems have also been invented for the transmission of signals. Clause 2 of the Bill seeks to repeal the existing definition and to insert new definitions which will take into account new developments in the field of telecommunications.

Clause 3 makes a consequential amendment to section 3 of the Act arising out of the insertion of the new definitions in section 2.

Clause 4 amends subsection (3) of section 13 of the Act to give to a broadcasting station, which is authorized by law to provide broadcasting services for general reception, the defences which are presently available to a defendant in a libel action in respect of reports and matters published in newspapers. The present subsection (3) of section 13 gives such defences to licensed broadcasting stations only. The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation which was established by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1979, is exempted from obtaining such a licence. The amendments made to section 13 will make these defences available to the Corporation in a libel action in respect of reports and matters broadcast by the Corporation.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr E.W. Barker].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause 1 -

The Chairman: The citation year will be altered from "1979" to "1980".

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 2 to 4 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.