AGY-3307 | Department of Lands [II]

Full description

The Department of Lands [II] was established on 15 February 1984 when the former Department of Local Government and Lands was abolished and separate Departments created. (1) The Department was responsible for the State’s land resources and this involved protecting and managing the Crown estate, and providing for the establishment and maintenance of integrated, reliable and accessible State-wide land information systems and associated mapping and surveying services. (2)

In August 1986, the Registrar General's Office, later known as the Land Titles Office, was removed from the Department of Lands and placed under the Attorney General's Department. In 1988, however, it was briefly returned to Lands (3) before being established as a separate administrative unit in June 1988 preparatory to it becoming a commercial operation. (4)

In June 1988, the Department consisted of the following divisions:
Crown Lands Office;
Central Mapping Authority;
Western Lands Commission;
State Land Information Council; and
the Corporate Services Division. The Crown Lands Office was responsible for the management of Crown land in the Eastern and Central Divisions of New South Wales and included district land offices. The Central Mapping Authority was responsible for the State’s mapping and survey needs and included the Surveyor General and the Geographical Names Board. The Western Lands Commission was responsible for the management and protection of Crown land in the Western Division of the state. The State Land Information Council was established in 1984 and is responsible for planning and implementing an integrated Land Information System, capable of providing immediate access to land-related data held by different agencies throughout the state. The Corporate Services Division provided financial, management, and administrative support to the Department. (5)

The Department underwent a major restructure in the 1988-89 financial year to allow greater focus on products and services rather than procedures and inputs. The move away from the fragmented configuration of operational arms and support services would improve lines of communication and accountability and would allow the Department to optimise its resources, co-ordinate major projects more effectively, and adapt to technological change. (6)

The Crown Lands Act 1989 (Act No.6, 1989) facilitated the streamlining of many functions and the Department became active in participating in joint ventures with the private sector and educational sectors of the surveying and mapping industries. (7)

On 1 July 1991 the Department of Lands and the Soil Conservation Service were abolished and their functions were incorporated with the Land Titles Office and the Valuer General's Department under the Department of Conservation and Land Management. (8)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.24, 17 February 1984, p.753.
2. Annual Report of the Department of Lands 1987-88, p.5.
3. New South Wales Government Gazette No.65, 25 March 1988, p.2041.
4. New South Wales Government Gazette No.102, 17 June 1988, page 3171.
5. Annual Report for the Department of Lands 1987-88, pp.34-35 and p.75.
6. Annual Report for the Department of Lands 1987-88, pp.10-11.
7. Assented to 21 March 1989 New South Wales Government Gazette No.44, 14 April 1989, p.1965.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.101, 28 June 1991, p.5335.