States debate

The Victorian Government believes its new electronic conveyancing system could be a sound platform for the development of a national system. When the system, which has been in development for five years, goes live on November 16, it will enable the electronic settlement of property sales and the lodgment of land transfers accompanied by the electronic payment of duty to the State Revenue Office.

The software which underpins the new system will be made available to other states for assessment. Unfortunately each state has different methods of transferring and registering title to land. Fears that differences might be too big to overcome are perhaps unfounded as the National Electronic Conveyancing System (NECS) was established precisely to overcome the differences and to establish a truly national system. Key players - lawyers, bankers and conveyancers -- are not prepared to tolerate interstate inconsistency any longer.

Article on the Australian