AGY-985 | Land Valuation Branch (1889-1897) / Land Valuers Branch (1897-1913) / Valuation Branch (1913-1916)

Full description

In 1889, a Land Valuation Branch was formed in the Public Works Department, with responsibility for valuation of land required for public purpose resumptions (especially railways and tramways). Much of the branch’s initial work centred on the compilation of a Deed Register of all railway lands and the creation of ledgers recording land resumed for cemeteries, sewerage, and water supply etc. under the Land for Public Purposes Acquisition Act (1).

From the 1890s onwards the work of the Land Valuation Branch expanded with estimates of value of the -
· metropolitan area’s Crown Lands for the Government Statistician (1892),
· the reclamation of land between Darling Harbour and Pyrmont (1894), and the new bridge at Glebe Island (1895) both for the Public Works Department
· railway line working plans for the Railway Commissioners (1896)
· land resumed out of grants for the Land Tax Commissioners (1897)
· the transfer of state buildings to the Commonwealth for the Government Architect (1900)

In addition to the estimation work the Land Valuation Branch also dealt with the compensation claims for land resumed. The Land Valuation Branch prepared all Gazette notifications, Executive minutes of authorisation, claim receipts, and amounts to be paid. If a landowner objected to the price offered by the Government Land Valuer the resulting dispute moved to arbitration and or trial. Land resumption extended from large public works schemes to easements for water supply and sewerage on single properties (2).

The Land Valuation Branch, however, did not deal with holdings required for road purposes by Lands Department Local District Surveyors. With the Lands Department’s resumption of Sydney Harbour Foreshores in 1900 the Land Valuation Branch acted as property broker examining titles, identifying owners, adjusting leasehold interests and life tenancies of land which embraced wharves, mills, churches, factories, stores, residences, hotels, and businesses of every calling (3).

Land valuation, however, was not confined to the Land Valuation Branch with valuators of land appointed under the Real Property Act 1862, valuers employed by local councils after 1906, and a valuation unit in the State Land Tax Office. Many land valuations made by these newer agencies were inconsistent and inequitable and by 1916 there was a desire to reduce the overlapping and duplication of land valuation work by appointing a single authority.

The Valuation of Land Act 1916 provided for the appointment of a Valuer-General and for the establishment of the Department of Valuer-General to bring uniformity to valuation activity. The valuations to be determined would become the basis of rating, stamp duties, death duties and land resumption.

FOOTNOTES:
(1) Public Works Department Annual Statement of works carried out by, during the year 1888, No. 4 Land Valuer’s Branch, p. 30 in the Votes and Proceedings, Vol. 6, 1889, p. 1382.
(2) Public Works Department annual report for the year ended 30 December - Annual Report of the Government Valuator in the Joint Volumes of the Parliamentary Papers of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly, Vol. 4, 1904, pp. 618-620.
(3) Ibid. p. 618.