Comments

This paper was published in (2008) 32 Melbourne University Law Review 44. This paper may also be referenced as [2009] UNSWLRS 48.

Abstract

The tort reform legislation of most Australian jurisdictions includes provisions directed specifically at protecting government defendants from civil liability. The legislation makes it harder to sue for breach of statutory duty, regulatory failure, the exercise of ‘special statutory powers’, and negligent failure to inspect the roads. These changes reflect an assumption long held at common law that there is something different about alleging government negligence, at least where the government is exercising statutory powers or performing statutory duties. The cases and reformers have long searched for the answer to the question of what that ‘something’ might be. This article considers the common law, analyses the legislation and then concludes by suggesting that a more principled approach would, in fact, focus on the nature of the functions performed, rather than on the identity of the defendant.

Disciplines

Injury and Tort Law | Public Law and Legal Theory

Date of this Version

November 2009