Attorney-General Robert McClelland has released a discussion paper on the proposal that Australia accede to the United Nations Convention on the use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Developed by the Commonwealth in collaboration with the States and Territories, the paper proposes that amendments be made to Australia’s electronic transactions regime to bring our laws into line with new international standards.

Currently, the Electronic Transactions Acts in each jurisdiction are based on the 1996 Model Law on E-commerce. The UN Convention on Electronic Communications updates the Model Law to address significant advancements in technology.

Submissions close on 30 January 2009.