Muslim women in Australia’s most populous state will have to remove veils to have their signatures officially witnessed, under the latest laws giving New South Wales officials authority to look under religious face coverings.

State attorney general Greg Smith said that from April 30, officials such as JPs and lawyers who witness statutory declarations or affidavits without making identity checks will be fined 220 Australian dollars (£149).

The laws are a response to a notorious court case last year in which a Sydney woman was convicted of falsely claiming that a traffic policeman had attempted to remove her niqab - a veil that reveals only the eyes.

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 were passed on December 23 by the state parliament. They follow New South Wales laws passed last year that introduced a £3,735 fine for anyone who refuses to remove face coverings when requested by police.

Ikebal Patel, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said while some Muslims regarded the laws as a knee-jerk reaction to the court case, the majority did not object.

”I don’t object as long as the laws are enforced with respect and sensitivity,” he said.

Mr Patel, a justice of the peace, said he would never witness a document without seeking proof of the author’s identity.

He said Muslim women could find female JPs working at most post offices. Women who object to showing policemen their faces have an option of being taken to a police station, where their identities can be confirmed by a female official.

New South Wales laws demanding the removal of religious face coverings are a first in Australia, although other states including Victoria and Western Australia are considering similar legislation.

Muslims are a rapidly growing minority of 400,000 within Australia’s Christian-majority population of 23 million.