Demateralisation of Insurance Documents in International Trade Transactions: A Need for Legislative Reform

Legal obstacles exist in Australian maritime law that hinder dematerialisation of marine insurance documents and militate against Australia's bid to create a legal environment conducive to electronic documentation of trade transactions. These obstacles are addressed by legislation, which may take two forms, through an ancillary law, such as the Electronic Transactions Act, that controls electronic transactions generally or by amending the Marine Insurance Act to accommodate electronic documentation.