Social media provides unique opportunities for Victorian Government departments and agencies to engage with Victorians. Departments and agencies can build a profile and generate a social media following by opening up a two-way conversation with the public. These interactions can help increase the reach of your social media posts but there are risks, including being sued for defamation. This is particularly important in the context of the recent High Court case of Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Voller where the Court held that an entity that operates social media accounts can be considered the publisher of third-party comments1 and could be liable in defamation for such comments.
These guidelines help provide a best practice guide for Victorian Government departments and agencies to meet the standards set out in the Social Media Operational Policy.
These guidelines do not cover the use of social media for personal or workplace communications (Microsoft Teams), or department or agency-specific social media policies. For guidance on personal use, refer to the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees.
These guidelines focus on social media moderation. For more information on general social media operation, read your entity’s social media documents and visit the Use social media guide and Social media branding – digital guide.
Footnotes
1 See Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Voller; Nationwide News Pty Limited v Voller; Australian News Channel Pty Ltd v Voller [2021] HCA 27.
Updated