LAND SETTLEMENT

The key dates and events in land settlement in NSW are as follows:

• 1788: Governor Phillip grants first land to emancipated convicts.
• 1789: Grants of land to encourage free settlers.
• 1793: First free settlers
• 1806: 22 stipulated "settlement districts". Change in land use from agricultural to pastoral.
• 1826: Beyond the Blue Mountains, north to the Hunter Valley and south to the Shoalhaven.
• 1829: Eastern Australia split into 2 boundaries surveyed and guarded.
• 1831: 3.5m acres of the best land alienated.
• 1836: Squatters given right to graze stock.
• 1855: Responsible government, gold, "free selection before survey".
• 1861: Crown Lands Alienation Act, Crown Lands Occupation Act, Conditional Purchases, "dummies".
• 1862: Torren's Real Property bill
• 1875: More dummying, illegal contacts, criminal offences minimum age set at 16 years. Commission recommends abolition before survey. Legislation; runs subdivided, selection before survey, colony subdivided into 3, Local Land Boards, right of appeal.
• 1889: Land Appeal Court Crown Lands Act; survey before selection HS, SL. Method for the valuation of improvements on crown lands determined.
• 1901: Control of the Western Division to the Western Lands Commission, Closer Settlement Act, SP.
• 1902: Appraisement Act; Conditional Purchase, Conditional Lease, Homestead Selection. Important amendments to Crown Lands Act Lease. Conversion Act; HS, SL to freehold. Non residential CP to residential CP, SP, CPL. Holdings taken up after this act were subject to restrictions on transfer (HMA).
• 1910: A reduction in the value of required improvements to be carried out on CPs where the UV was less than $2/acre. Fencing no longer compulsory.
• 1912: Federal Labor introduced HF, SubL, CnL, right of conversion.
• 1913: Crown Lands Consolidation Act of 36 Crown Lands Acts since 1861.
• 1916: 2 more inconvertible tenures WL,TLL.
• 1914/18: War period. RSS Acts of 1916,1917,1919 for closer settlement.
• 1917: Conversion Act; HF, SH, CnL to purchases.
• 1921: Abolition of Land Appeal Court. Land and Valuation Court established.
• 1924: Land set aside for returned soldiers, their sons, share farmers, diplomats, sons of farmers, and migrants. Extensions of various leases.
• 1927: Provisions for the determination of rents and capital values.
• 1931:Provisions for the determination of prices, values, rents, licenses, and capacity.
• 1931:Depression. Interest rate reduced to 4%, and 2.25% in rent for 3 years.
• 1934: Large landholdings in the Western Division.
• 1941: War Service Land Settlement Act .
• 1942: Land to be surrendered could be withdrawn any time. Home maintenance areas abandoned 2 years later, terms of CL, SL to 40 years from 28 years. Interest rate on CP reduced from 4% to 2.5%.
• 1942: CSA(Conv)Act, SPL,SGP into leases in perpetuity, irrigation settlement principally at Leeton and Griffith.
• 1949: Western lands policy was brought to a successful conclusion in breaking up the large stations in the Western Division.
• 1956: Crown Lands Consolidation Amendment Act
• 1959: War Service Land Settlement Scheme terminated.
• 1960: Further amendments. A number of deadwood tenures reduced.
• 1964: OL, AL, ScrubL, InfLL, ORL, IL,TLL,OHS,OSL,OCL, OCP, SpCPL eliminated. Term for SpL increased from 28 to 40 years.

See:
crown tenures