Australia is one of the leading nations pushing for a cashless society, as evidenced by the lack of use of physical tender in the country, as the nation’s megabanks are now reducing how much cash they will allow to be withdrawn or even all together.
Other countries have been working to phase-out paper contracts and forms. In 2021 the city of Dubai announced that they were nearly 100% paperless at the time.
For more on Australia’s recent move, The Mandarin has the story:
One of the last vestiges of centuries of paper and ink has finally fallen, after federal attorney-general Mark Dreyfus wrote into law the permanent ability to use digital execution, electronic signatures and video witnessing to create statutory declarations.
In a mark of how the world has permanently changed in the wake of COVID, the nation’s chief law officer says that “all three methods will be an equally valid and legally effective form of Commonwealth statutory declaration.”
The new digital declarations also come with the requirement that “approved online platforms and identity services demonstrate they comply with privacy laws and have robust fraud and security arrangements”, meaning that data-hoarding by so-called Big Tech to mine declarations is officially off limits.
The Bill also prohibits approved online platforms from retaining copies of statutory declarations, noting that they can hold particularly sensitive personal information. There is also an annual reporting requirement to the Parliament on the operation of the online execution platform.
A statement from Dreyfus said.
The main reason ‘stat decs’ are made is to initiate or validate some form of transaction or transfer or delegation of authority.
While e-signatures are at least 10 years old, it’s been the mustering of all the required signatories to be physically in the same place at the same time for what is essentially a visual cross-check that has proved the legislative sticking point.
Australians spend an estimated 9 million hours each year executing and processing more than 3.8 million statutory declarations. Historically, these documents have been strictly paper-based, requiring they be witnessed in person and signed in ink.
The statement from Dreyfus said.
The movement by the federal jurisdiction to allow digital stat decs is important because it will allow other jurisdictions to follow the same standards and avoid the risk of different rules for different states that don’t interoperate with Canberra.
This is especially important in areas like health and social services where people often have their affairs managed for them.
While there are no huge financial savings — the government estimates around $150 million a year — it’s the speed and ease with which electronic processes can now be executed that makes the difference for exchanging parties, meaning that services can be delivered much faster without days or weeks elapsing to get paperwork moving.
An equally important part of the new legislation is that it takes account of the forthcoming mainstream rollout of digital identity credentials, future-proofing e-signatures and statutory declarations.
The Bill also enables people to digitally execute a statutory declaration using the online platform myGov and the myGov ID Digital ID.
Importantly, this bill does not remove the ability for Australians to continue executing statutory declarations through the traditional, paper-based method should they wish to do so.
The statement from Dreyfus said.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Subtle actions like this are huge, and while stuff like this gets totally overlooked, it plays into the coming mark of the beast system. Everything must be tracked and traced and digitized: everything must be in ‘the system,’ and nothing on the books.
[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. [18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:16-18
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Keep all ya records (paper), especially ya Bible KJV1611, so ya have proof of the truth; digital can be wiped in a key stroke. The truth of everything needs to be preserved; they are trying to erase history