What is statutory declaration in Australia?
Its a legal document in which you say (declare) that what youre saying is true to the best of your knowledge. You then sign it in the presence of a person authorised to witness statutory declarations - a Justice of the Peace, or few other types of person. Theyre required for a variety of purposes. The last one I can remember witnessing (as a JP) was in support of someone applying for a spouse visa a few years ago. The person making the declaration was saying I know these two are a couple, and heres my proof, so they needed to make that statement officially and under penalty of perjury. Theyre also very common if youre given a ticket for speeding or running a red light. You can fill in a form saying I wasnt driving the car at the time, so xyz who was driving the car needs to be fined. The person driving does much the same, and the fine and demerit points attach to them.