McClelland favours national e-conveyancing system

THE Rudd Government plans to become directly involved in helping to build the planned National Electronic Conveyancing System (NECS).

Newly appointed Attorney-General Robert McClelland told The Australian that he favoured a national e-conveyancing system and would accept an invitation to join the steering committee in charge of developing it.

The move would strengthen the hand of lawyers, bankers and state governments that favour a single national e-conveyancing system, as opposed to smaller state-based systems.

The NECS steering committee currently has representatives from all state governments, the Law Council of Australia, the Australian Bankers Association and the Australian Institute of Conveyancers.

Mr McClelland said he would ensure that the e-conveyancing issue was discussed at the standing committee of attorneys-general.

The Attorney-General's department had already provided him a briefing on the issues involved in e-conveyancing.

"Clearly, electronic conveyancing is inevitable. It is clearly the way of the future," he said. "There should be a national system. And it is obvious and desirable that this be achieved through a co-operative scheme - and I will be using every endeavour to achieve that."

Among those in favour of including the federal Government on the steering committee was NECS chairman Les Taylor, a former general counsel of the Commonwealth Bank.

Last month, state governments established a high-powered committee of officials to streamline work on a seamless national conveyancing system. This move was an initiative of the Victorian Minister responsible for e-conveyancing, Gavin Jennings. It was aimed at reassuring the banks and other private sector users of conveyancing that all the states worked towards the establishment of a national system.

The initiative, however, has not persuaded the major banks to end their boycott of Victoria's state-based e-conveyancing system. The boycott was imposed over what the banks saw as a lack of co-operation by the Victorian Government with moves aimed at establishing a national system.

Chris Merritt, Legal affairs editor | December 07, 2007 The Australian