Statutory Review of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 - Are any changes needed to improve the list of approved witnesses under the Regulations? - Attorney-General's Department

Are any changes needed to improve the list of approved witnesses under the Regulations?

Approved witnesses play an important role in the veracity of the statutory declarations process for electronic and in-person statutory declarations. The key purpose of a witness is to observe the act of signing, and if later required, attest that the person who signed was the declarant.

While the list was remade as a result of the changes to the Act and Regulations in 2023, no additional categories of approved witnesses were added or removed at that time. This review provides an opportunity for people to provide feedback on whether the list of approved Commonwealth witnesses remains appropriate.

Page 12 of the discussion paper provides more information on the role of approved witnesses.

Please provide your views by answering the below questions. You do not need to answer them all – you may respond only to those that are relevant to you or your organisation.

15. To what extent does the current list of approved witnesses meet community needs?

(Please select one)

To a great extent To a moderate extent Not at all

Please provide examples of any circumstances where individuals may experience difficulty finding an approved witness, and any changes that should be made to the list to address this challenge.

16. Are there any opportunities to streamline the current list of approved witnesses?

Please explain where possible.