Board of Inquiry into Housing Commission Land Purchases

Full description

The Board of Inquiry was established by Order-in Council on 9 August 1977 to inquire into and report upon land purchases made by the Housing Commission. Sir Gregory Gowans, Q.C., former Judge of the Supreme Court was appointed to be the Board. The Terms of Reference were set out and published in the Victorian Government Gazette on 9 August 1977.

The Terms of Reference for this Inquiry were

1. All aspects of and matters arising from the land purchases by the Housing Commission at Pakenham, Sunbury and Melton in the years 1973 and 1974 and the proposed development of the purchased land, to report in each case.

(a) whether any person was guilty of any impropriety, breach of law or duty, negligence or act of dishonesty in relation thereto

(b) whether any person gave or gained improper advantage or improperly disclosed of misused confidential information

(c) whether the valuation, or valuations, preceding the purchase was or were properly made and based

(d) whether the price paid was fair and reasonable.

2. Whether the procedures and methods employed and the practices observed in relation to the purchase of land by the Housing Commission are adequate or whether any and what new procedures, methods and practices should be introduced and adopted in relation thereto.

The report of this inquiry was to be completed by Sir Gregory Gowans, Q.C., by 30 November 1977.

Two subsequent Orders-in-Council extended the date of delivery of the final report of the Board of Inquiry to 6 March 1978. This report was not successful in ending speculation about corruption of land purchases by the Housing Commission. Continuing press coverage relating to later purchases led to the appointment of a Royal Commission into Certain Land Purchases and Other Matters in 1979 (See VA 3020).

The report was published in Papers Presented to Parliament 1978/1978, No. 6.