Catchwords:

CIVIL PROCEDURE ? Court of Appeal ? Leave to appeal ? whether appeal incompetent ? notice of appeal ? application filed out of time ? where no application has been made for an extension of time or explanation given ? no evidence appeal involves matter at issue of value of $100,000 or more

DEFAMATION ? whether denial of procedural fairness ? whether conclusions open to be drawn by primary judge in absence of cross-examination ? whether appellant had adequate opportunity to explain his position ? where trial judge did not notify the appellant of her doubts concerning his evidence

DEFAMATION ? Defences ? honest opinion ? whether defamatory matter was statement of fact or opinion/comment ? where matters of opinion intermingled with statements of fact ? whether defamatory matter or defamatory meaning as found focus of inquiry

DEFAMATION ? Defences ? honest opinion ? whether fairness or honesty of comment must be responsive to the defamatory meaning as found or the defamatory matter ? whether comment or opinion based on proper material

DEFAMATION ? Defences ? fair report ? whether defamatory matter a fair report where it is a substantially accurate report in fact ? where not a substantially accurate report of the meaning conveyed by the report

DEFAMATION ? Defences ? statutory qualified privilege ? whether failure to seek comment from the appellant was not reasonable ? where Royal Commission proceedings were a matter of public interest ? where evidence of the appellant was ongoing ? where appellant contacted through a conduit and published a statement in same publication as appeared the defamatory matter