Conservation > Land conservation > Crown lands > Disposal of surplus

Disposal of surplus Crown land

If a parcel of Crown land has been determined to be surplus to any government requirements it may be sold.

A full investigation of the land must first be undertaken to determine if it is suitable for sale. This assessment will consider:

• native title
• biodiversity
• cultural heritage
• contamination.

The disposal of Crown land must be sold for the market value of the Crown’s interest in the land by either:

• auction
• public tender
• another open competitive process as determined by the Minister.

Exceptions

The Minister can approve a direct sale under the following circumstances:

• if the land is to be merged with adjacent land it can be disposed of to the owner of that land. This option is common with channel reserves as they are not saleable in their own right
• when Crown land is managed by a custodian, the custodian may directly purchase the land if they have constructed or made significant improvements on the land
• the land may be directly disposed of to a Crown or Commonwealth Crown agency.

For more information read the disposal of Crown land (87kb pdf) fact sheet or contact your local DENR regional office.