150th Anniversary of Torrens Title Symposium: 20 June 2008

Creation, Establishment, Challenges

Implemented in 1858 in South Australia, Torrens Title replaced the English Common Law system of conveyancing.  Under old system land law, land sales required a purchaser to search all previous transactions affecting the land to ensure valid title. This proved to be time consuming, complex and expensive, thereby restricting the number of people able to afford to buy land in the Colonies.

Introduced by Sir Robert Richard Torrens, the system which bears his name produced one Certificate of Title for a property detailing all previous transactions. Under this system, once an interest-holder’s name was registered on the Certificate they became the owner, to the exclusion of all others.

The establishment of Torrens Title ensured that the ownership of land was secure and widely distributed throughout the community.  It has been a successful system which is now used in most provinces of Canada, many other Commonwealth countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand, and even some non-English-speaking countries—reports suggest it is found in countries as diverse as Tunisia, Iran and Madagascar.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the introduction of Torrens Title, a Symposium hosted by the University of Adelaide Law School on 20 June 2008, will draw together five leading scholars to discuss the creation and establishment of and the current challenges that face Torrens Title.

Speakers

• Mr. John Corcoran, Russell Kennedy Pty Ltd, Melbourne, President-Elect, Law Council of Australia
• Professor Rosalind Croucher, Australian Law Reform Commission
• Professor Emeritus Horst Lucke, University of Queensland, TC Beirne School of Law
• Professor Murray Raff, Dean, University of Canberra School of Law
• Associate Professor Greg Taylor, Monash University Law School

This Symposium also forms a central part of the events throughout 2008 to mark the 125th anniversary of the University of Adelaide Law School, including the Law 125 Distinguished Speakers Series.  For more information about Law 125 events, please contact:

Dr Paul Babie
Associate Dean of Law (Research)
(08) 8303 5521 or paul.babie@adelaide.edu.au