Reviewing the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991

There are times when government agencies need to acquire land for public purposes such as public infrastructure. The Land Acquisition Review will consider how to improve the acquisition process for all involved.

The NSW Government wants the process to be fair, easy to understand and transparent. The government aims to strike the right balance between landowners’ rights and delivering essential public infrastructure.

Legislation

The Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 (the Just Terms Act) sets out the processes that the government must follow to acquire land from a landowner for a public purpose. The government can do this compulsorily or by agreement. A public purpose may include the development of public roads, public transport, airports, schools or hospitals.

The Current Review

The NSW Government (led by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure) is now going ahead with:

• a broad review of the Just Terms Act, considering the matters raised in the Parliamentary Inquiry into the acquisition of land in relation to major transport projects
• a review of the whole-of-government approach to property acquisitions.

The review will consider matters raised by government, non-government, industry and community groups, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individual community members.

Have your say

We encourage you to give your feedback to the Discussion Paper by completing the survey, providing a written submission and/or attending a consultation to give your feedback on suggested improvements to the Act and the whole-of-government acquisition process. This consultation will close at 5pm on Friday 3 May.