If kept my licence in my wallet (on the off chance I was to purchase some animals on a whim) it would be illegible within 3 mths due to wear and tear. It is not a counterfeit proof card with a hologram and my photo on it, it is a piece of paper. PIECE OF PAPER! Other states can print their own off, but we are expected to pay for a replacement? GTFO.
As for digital records, I doubt that if I was to suffer a break and enter on my premises that my record book would go missing. Laptop yep see you later, so how do I keep records then? And considering how inaccurate the online return was for me last year, I wouldn't trust a digital record system offered by them. I have never kept snakes but according to the DSE I had an assortment of them.
Harsher penalties? Pfft, when are they going to enforce that? How many fines have you heard of being issued for licence breaches? Unless you are associated with a bike club or drugs(or both) you can pretty much fly under the radar and even then the offences associated with the aforementioned are more than likely trumped up to make a bust look more impressive.
And finally why should we put more money into a government body coffers? I pay taxes and Licence fees already, if they cannot utilise the funds created by that, they do not deserve any more. How many conservation projects are solely funded by government? Not many, if any. (No Scribe)