VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT LAW REFORM COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS WITH REFERENCE TO THE MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY Ordered to be printed Melbourne Government Printer October 2002 No 195 of Session 1999-2002 Parliament of Victoria Law Reform Committee Inquiry into Oaths and Affirmations with Reference to the Multicultural Community ISBN – 0-7313-5393-5 C OMMITTEE M EMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN Mr Murray Thompson, MP* DEPUTY CHAIR Hon. Dianne Hadden, MLC* MEMBERS Hon. Ron Bowden, MLC* Hon. Peter Katsambanis, MLC* Mr Telmo Languiller, MP* Ms Andrea McCall, MP Mr Bob Stensholt, MP * Member of Oaths and Affirmations Subcommittee The Committee’s Address is – Level 8, 35 Spring Street MELBOURNE VIC 3000 Telephone inquiries: (03) 9651 3644 Facsimile: (03) 9651 3674 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/lawreform iii Oaths and Affirmations with Reference to the Multicultural Community iv C OMMITTEE S TAFF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ms Merrin Mason RESEARCH OFFICERS Ms Kristin Giles (Inquiry into Oaths and Affirmations with reference to the Multicultural Community) Ms Sue Kaufmann (Inquiry into Forensic Sampling and DNA Databases in Criminal Investigations) OFFICE MANAGER Ms Jaime Cook v Oaths and Affirmations with Reference to the Multicultural Community vi T ABLE OF C ONTENTS COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP ........................................................................................................ III COMMITTEE STAFF ......................................................................................................................... V TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................... VII CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD .........................................................................................................XIII FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ........................................................................................... XV TERMS OF REFERENCE ............................................................................................................ XVII LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................XIX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................7 BACKGROUND TO THE INQUIRY ...........................................................................................................8 CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION PAPER .........................................................................................8 SCOPE OF THE INQUIRY AND COMMITTEE’S METHODOLOGY ...............................................................9 Oaths of allegiance, oaths of office and illegal oaths excluded from the scope of the Inquiry ......9 Identification of key issues............................................................................................................10 Jurisdictional Focus.....................................................................................................................10 Non-legislative factors relevant to oaths and affirmations ..........................................................11 STRUCTURE OF REPORT AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS.............................................................................11 CHAPTER TWO – ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM.................................15 STATISTICS ON ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY............................................................................15 Use and critique of census figures................................................................................................17 THE MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY, MULTICULTURALISM AND THE CURRENT INQUIRY ....................18 Meaning of multiculturalism ........................................................................................................19 MULTICULTURALISM AND THE LAW ..................................................................................................23 CHAPTER THREE – THE HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF THE OATH....................................25 vii Oaths and Affirmations with Reference to the Multicultural Community INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................25 PRE-COMMON LAW FORMS OF OATH ..................................................................................................26 THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON LAW.............................................................................28 Introduction and evolution of the affirmation ..............................................................................30 Aboriginals and the Oath .............................................................................................................32 CHAPTER FOUR – THE CURRENT LAW IN VICTORIA..........................................................35 OATHS / AFFIRMATIONS IN COURT .....................................................................................................35 Standard form of oath ..................................................................................................................35 Accommodation of other forms of oath ........................................................................................37 The Affirmation ............................................................................................................................38 Other provisions...........................................................................................................................42 Summary of current legal position in Victoria .............................................................................42 Juror’s Oath .................................................................................................................................43 AFFIDAVITS / STATUTORY DECLARATIONS.........................................................................................44 Meaning of affidavits and statutory declarations.........................................................................44 Classes of persons permitted to witness affidavits and statutory declarations.............................45 The significance of the oath / affirmation to the crime of Perjury................................................49 CHAPTER FIVE – INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS.........................51 OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS IN COURTS ..............................................................................................51 Australian Jurisdictions ...............................................................................................................51 Similarities and differences in the legislation ..............................................................................52 Forms of Oath around Australia ..................................................................................................53 The Affirmation around Australia ................................................................................................56 Accommodation of different forms of oath ...................................................................................60 CLASSES OF PEOPLE AUTHORISED TO WITNESS AFFIDAVITS / STATUTORY DECLARATIONS ................62 Witnesses of Affidavits..................................................................................................................63 Witnesses of Statutory Declarations.............................................................................................64 INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTIONS ........................................................................................................67 England, Wales and Northern Ireland .........................................................................................68 New Zealand.................................................................................................................................71 Canada .........................................................................................................................................72 The United States of America.......................................................................................................73 Conclusions on international and interstate comparisons ...........................................................76 CHAPTER SIX – THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGIOUS TEXTS AND OATHS .....................79 SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGIOUS TEXTS TO WITNESSES AND OTHER PARTIES ...........................................79 Handling procedures for religious texts.......................................................................................83 viii Contents THE IMPORTANCE OF AN APPROPRIATE RELIGIOUS OATH...................................................................85 Religious oaths are more meaningful to persons with strongly held religious beliefs .................86 Argument that religious oath is more binding on the conscience of religious people..................89 VMC and ECCV community consultation forum..........................................................................91 The importance of the oath as courtroom ritual...........................................................................94 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................95