Western Australian Current Acts

ELECTRONIC CONVEYANCING ACT 2014 - SECT 12

12 .         Reliance on, and repudiation of, digital signatures (cf. ECNL s. 12)

        (1)         If a subscriber’s digital signature is created for a registry instrument or other document in connection with a conveyancing transaction, then —

            (a)         unless that subscriber repudiates that digital signature, that registry instrument or other document is to be taken to be signed by that subscriber; and

            (b)         unless that subscriber repudiates that digital signature, that digital signature is binding, in relation to that registry instrument or other document, on —

                  (i)         that subscriber; and

                  (ii)         all other persons (if any) for whom that subscriber acts under a client authorisation with respect to that conveyancing transaction;

                and

            (c)         unless that subscriber repudiates that digital signature, that digital signature is binding, in relation to that registry instrument or other document, for the benefit of —

                  (i)         each of the parties to that conveyancing transaction; and

                  (ii)         each subscriber who acts under a client authorisation with respect to that conveyancing transaction; and

                  (iii)         any person claiming through or under any person to whom subparagraph (i) applies; and

                  (iv)         the Authority, the Registrar and the Commissioner, once that registry instrument or other document is lodged electronically in accordance with section 7;

                and

            (d)         that subscriber cannot repudiate that digital signature except in the circumstances set out in subsection (4).

        (2)         Subsection (1) applies regardless of —

            (a)         who created the subscriber’s digital signature; and

            (b)         the circumstances (including fraud) in which the subscriber’s digital signature was created.

        (3)         Subsection (1) does not prevent the unsigning of a registry instrument or other document.

        (4)         Despite subsections (1) and (2), a subscriber can repudiate the subscriber’s digital signature with respect to a registry instrument or other document if the subscriber establishes —

            (a)         that the digital signature was not created by the subscriber; and

            (b)         that the digital signature was not created by a person who, at the time the subscriber’s digital signature was created for the registry instrument or other document —

                  (i)         was an employee, agent, contractor or officer (however described) of the subscriber; and

                  (ii)         had the subscriber’s express or implied authority to create the subscriber’s digital signature for any document or documents;

                and

            (c)         that neither of the following enabled the subscriber’s digital signature to be created for the registry instrument or other document —

                  (i)         a failure by the subscriber, or any of the subscriber’s employees, agents, contractors or officers, to fully comply with the requirements of the participation rules;

                  (ii)         a failure by the subscriber, or any of the subscriber’s employees, agents, contractors or officers, to take reasonable care.

        (5)         For the purposes of subsection (4)(b)(ii), it does not matter whether the authority was —

            (a)         general; or

            (b)         limited or restricted to documents of a particular class or to a particular document or in any other way.