13/9/05
Registering land ownership in Western Australia will be a more secure process, thanks to new-look duplicate Certificates of Title designed to combat fraud.
Land Information Minister John Bowler said the changes would help protect WA land owners.
“So far we have been fortunate enough to have experienced no problems with the forgery of titles, but it is always best to be prepared for any future eventualities,” Mr Bowler said.
The new, blue paper documents will be available from August and contribute to a national effort across all Australian Land Titles Offices to increase security. The WA duplicates will have a range of improved security features, thanks to the Department of Land Information’s application of up-to-the-minute technology.
To minimise the risk of forgery, the new Titles duplicates will feature watermarks, a hologram, a thermocromic icon and a control number. These features will enable DLI staff to identify quickly any irregularities with a duplicate Certificate of Title, benefiting all customers involved in land transactions.
Further streamlining will also see the retirement of the old green, purple and sienna titles in favour of a single blue duplicate title. All ‘original’ titles will continue to be held in the DLI databases.
“By improving the security features in the duplicate Certificate of Title, DLI is helping to keep our established Torrens title system secure,” the Minister said.
“Last year, the land title system in WA registered $30.1billion worth of land transfers and $45.04billion worth of mortgages. With these kinds of amounts being secured under the system, it is imperative that that we maintain public confidence in our ability to protect the system.”
DLI customers will directly benefit from the changes, as it will become easier to identify any suspect titles that are lodged. This has a knock-on effect for those people buying or selling property, because any problems will come to light far quicker than before.
Mr Bowler said the Gallop Government was committed to protecting the integrity of the WA land administration system by ensuring a cohesive and co-ordinated approach to the delivery of public services.
Minister's office: 9213 6500
