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Western Lands leases
Nearly all the land in the Western Division is held under Western Lands Leases granted under the Western Lands Act 1901. The primary purpose of the Western Lands Act is to ensure the appropriate management of this fragile environment. By world standards, it is one of the oldest pieces of resource management legislation and demonstrates the environmental foresight of our early legislators.
Conditions are attached to each Western Lands Lease to ensure the land is managed sustainably. That means that land must not be over-grazed, and that approvals must be obtained to cultivate land and to subdivide or transfer the lease. The Western Lands Commissioner has the power to impose notices on lessees to destock areas, refrain from certain activities, or rehabilitate damaged or degraded areas.
Most leases are perpetual (ongoing) and can only be used for a designated purpose. If different or additional uses are sought, an application to the Department of Lands must be made, which requires a review of environmental factors. Western Region of Lands administers over 7,000 Western Lands Leases, including 4,250 for grazing, 520 for agriculture, 2,090 for residence and 240 for businesses. In addition, it oversees more than 1,200 Crown Reserves leases, 300 Crown and Irrigation Area leases, and 800 licences to occupy Crown Land.
Western Lands Leases are bought and sold in the same way as freehold property. However, when people "buy" leases they are in fact only buying the improvements on the lease and the right to lease the land.
The Crown charges an annual rent for leases. In accordance with the Act, grazing and agriculture lease rents are based on the total area of the property and on the environmental impact of the land use, including a credit for managed conservation. Rents for residential and business leases are 3 per cent and 6 per cent of the land value, respectively.
Favourable concessions were made available in late 2005 to encourage holders of residential leases to convert their leases to freehold, with over 25 per cent taking up the option in the first 6 months. Grazing leases are not convertible to freehold.
The Western Lands Commissioner is chair of the Wild Dog Destruction Board, which maintains the dog proof fence along parts of the Queensland and South Australian borders. Wild Dog Destruction Board rates are payable on all properties in the Western Division of more than 1,000 hectares, including freehold and leasehold lands. Western Region staff of Lands carry out rate collection and debt management.
