In one Australian state, Muslim women will soon have to remove veils when signing official documents

Muslim women in Australia's most populous state will have to remove veils to have their signatures officially witnessed under new laws which give New South Wales officials authority to look under religious face coverings.

New South Wales state Attorney-General, Mr Greg Smith, said in a statement yesterday that beginning April 30, officials such as justices of the peace and lawyers who witness statutory declarations or affidavits without making identity checks will be fined A$220 (S$300).

"If a person is wearing a face covering, an authorised witness should politely and respectfully ask her to show her face," Mr Smith said.

The government yesterday began an information campaign to ensure the public and officials were aware of the new penalties before they came into force.

The laws are a response to a court case last year in which a Sydney woman was convicted of falsely claiming that a traffic policeman had attempted to remove her veil. A judge overturned the conviction because the official who witnessed the false claim did not look under the veil of the person who made it, so the judge was not certain that the defendant was responsible.

The latest laws follow New South Wales laws passed last year that introduced a A$5,500 fine and a 12-month prison sentence for anyone who refuses to remove face coverings when requested to do so by the police.

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