Limitation Act 1969

A person claiming to have a cause of action for defamation may apply to the court for an order extending the limitation period for the cause of action.

A court may extend the limitation period to a period of up to 3 years running from the date of the alleged publication of the matter if the plaintiff satisfies the court that it is just and reasonable to allow an action to proceed.

In determining whether to extend the limitation period, the court is to have regard to all of the circumstances of the case and in particular to—

the length of, and the reasons for, the plaintiff’s delay, and

if a reason for the delay was that some or all of the facts relevant to the cause of action became known to the plaintiff after the limitation period expired—

the day on which the facts became known to the plaintiff, and

the extent to which the plaintiff acted promptly and reasonably once the plaintiff knew whether or not the facts might be capable of giving rise to an action, and

the extent, having regard to the delay, to which relevant evidence is likely to be unavailable or less cogent than if the action had been brought within the limitation period.