This defamatory Google reviews guide explains what Australian businesses should do in 2026 when dealing with false, harmful, or anonymous Google reviews, and what legal steps can be taken under Australian defamation law.

Throughout 2025, we wrote extensively on what to do about both anonymous Google reviews which are defamatory, as well as what to do about them (and if you know who published it, even better!). According to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s defamation report, the law continues to evolve to address modern communication platforms.

To start year off with a bang, and heading in 2026, we have decided to write a detailed defamatory google reviews guide on what to do about defamatory google reviews concerning your business this year.

Our previous articles on defamatory Google reviews guide are:

1. Part 1: https://allenlawyers.com.au/defamatory-google-reviews/
2. Part 2: https://allenlawyers.com.au/defamatory-google-reviews-2/
3. Part 3: https://allenlawyers.com.au/anonymous-google-reviews/

A brief introduction/recap of Australian Defamation Law

Defamation law throughout Australia is mostly uniform, and has been since 2005, however, there have been periods of time between 2021 and about August 2026, where it the law differed more so depending on the state or territory in which you live.

This is now mostly the case throughout Australia, except for Western Australia, which still retains the uniform defamation law as it was in 2005.

One of the significant changes arising out of the 2021 to Australian defamation law was the incorporation of an additional ‘element’ called the serious harm element to the tort of defamation.

Accordingly, in addition to need to establish the first three elements (which we have explored in other articles), a business or person much now establish that the publication of the defamatory matter (in this case, the defamatory Google review), caused, or was likely to cause, serious harm.

Defamatory Google Reviews Guide and the Legal Risks for Businesses

I’ve received a defamatory Google review, what do I do?

If you or your business has received a defamatory Google review, the first thing (and perhaps, the most important thing), is not to respond negatively. If you are to respond, the response should be neutral and in as polite a tone as possible. A response written in an aggravating tone is likely to only cause further reputation harm to the business, and to the business’ earning capacity.

What if I don’t know who left the review?

It may be the case, that there are facts known to you which will assist in identifying the person who left the review, for example, an aggrieved customer who you had interactions with, and whose review contains similar facts relating to that dispute or particular issue.

However, if, after preliminary investigations, the person cannot still be identified, you can consider making an application to the Supreme Court of Victoria (or any Supreme Court of the State or Territory you reside in, including the Federal Court), for an order for preliminary discovery.

This application is directed toward Google, which will need to be served in the United States.

The application itself is complex and requires detailed knowledge and experience of the law as it relates to these particular types of applications, and the procedure for serving a business overseas.

I have identified who left the review, what are my next steps?

If you know who left the review, or if you don’t know who left the review, the first step is to always obtain legal advice and assistance. If you know who left the review, the process is much simpler, in that, preliminary discovery is not required.

In those circumstances, you should issue a concerns notice to the person who published the defamatory Google review.

A concerns notice is a formal, statutorily provided mechanism to set out your grievances with the review to the person who published it. Further, it is a mandatory requirement before you can commence defamation proceedings in Australia (except if you’re based in Western Australia – where it is not necessary and still optional).

Draft a concerns notice is complex, and should ordinarily be done by a lawyer with considerable years of experience in defamation law, such as Allen Law, as a single mistake can cause serious issues if not done correctly, which can include, in a worst-case scenario, incorrect or limited imputations, or the summary dismissal of your case.

What happens after my lawyer has served a concerns notice?

Ordinarily, the person who receives a concerns notice will take steps to obtain independent legal advice, and thereafter, they will discuss the contents of the concerns notice, whether informally, and more formally, by way of a written response, as to what steps their client is prepared to take to resolve the issues in dispute. This can include an apology and/or a retraction, and the payment of compensation, which, in certain circumstances, can be considerable.

Practical advice for businesses managing a google my business account

• If you have a good relationship with the client, and you trust them, ask them to leave you a positive google review! They all help!
• Respond to every review, good or bad, big or small – it shows that your business is legitimate, and in operation, and can respond in a timely manner.
• If you receive a negative review from a customer, consider contacting them to discuss their complaints directly. You may be able to resolve the issue, leaving them even happier with your responses, more so than they may have been if everything had gone smoothly in the first instance.
• Stay consistent: review management is reputation management. Timely responses, active engagement and follow up are key.

FAQ: Defamatory Google Reviews Guide

What are defamatory Google reviews?

Defamatory Google reviews are false statements of fact published on Google that harm a business’s reputation and may give rise to a legal claim under Australian defamation law.

Can anonymous Google reviews be defamatory?

Yes. Anonymous reviews can be defamatory if they contain false statements. In some cases, businesses can apply for an order for preliminary discovery to identify the reviewer.

What is a concerns notice?

A concerns notice is a formal document issued under Australian defamation law to a person whose review is alleged to be defamatory, setting out the complaint and legal basis before commencing proceedings.

How should a business respond to a defamatory review?

Businesses should respond politely and neutrally where possible, seek legal advice early, and document the review to protect their reputation and legal options.

Can Google remove defamatory reviews?

Google may remove reviews that breach its content policies, particularly if legal process or court orders require removal. Legal action may sometimes be necessary.

How Allen Law can help you

If you are the owner of a small or medium sized business in Australia, and your business has a social media or online presence, there is a likelihood that, no matter how hard you try, and no matter how good your services or goods are, it is inevitable that someone will always complain, and that complaint, in the age of modern technology, is usually made in a public forum and online.

We have years of experience in representing and advising small to medium sized businesses of public reputation protection and the legal mechanisms and avenues open to them to pursue publishers of negative and Google review defamation, including how to obtain the details of an anonymous publisher of fake reviews.

We have successfully obtained for our clients:

• the removal of negative, defamatory Google reviews;
• apologies for the publication of negative, defamatory Google reviews;
• compensation for damage to reputation and loss of revenue;
• undertakings not to publish further defamatory Google reviews; and
• the publication of positive, five-star reviews by the person who original published the negative, one-star review!

If you have received a negative or have Google review defamation, this defamation google reviews guide will benifit and we are here to help at the drop of a hat. Many businesses affected by defamatory Google reviews in Australia seek urgent legal advice. Get in touch today.