Page 3188 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994

(3) The process is as for other lease variations and is set out in Part VI of the Land

(Planning and Environment) Act 1991.

(4) The criteria are set out in the Land (Planning and Environment) Act 1991 and the Territory Plan.

(5) All costs are borne by the lessee of the block.

(6) As I mentioned earlier all costs are borne by the lessee of the block. These

costs may be passed onto transferees, but this is not a matter within the control

of the Department.

(7) Yes, betterment is payable by the lessee.

(8) It is not possible to compel a lessee to pass back or surrender his or her lease

or part of it. It is not possible to draw a general conclusion as to the value of

any "surplus" land as it would depend on individual factors. The Land

(Planning and Environment) Act grants entitlements to lessees to make

application to vary leases and to subdivide and consolidate leases. This

assumes that the Government will not seek to acquire the land unless it has a

particular use for it. This principle is supported in the recently promulgated

Land Acquisition Act. This Act was passed with the full support of the

Assembly. The Land (Planning and Environment) Act, the Land Acquisition Act

and the leasing policies are directed to providing certainty and security for

leaseholders and to protect lessees from inequitable expropriation of land by

Government.