Page 6365 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, LAND AND PLANNING
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION
QUESTION NO. 638
Lease Change - Canberra Bowling Club
Mr Jensen - asked the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning -
Can the Minister provide the details and any documentation on the change of the lease for Block 1, Section 12, Forrest to a City Area Leases Ordinance Lease on 22 April 1982?
Mr Wood - the answer to the Members question is as follows:
Yes - the change of lease of Block 1 Section 12 Forrest from a lease granted under the Leases (Special Purposes) Ordinance to a lease granted under the City Area Lease Ordinance occurred in 1982 and followed a Commonwealth Government decision that rent should be paid by the Club on the new lease and a recognition that such rent could only be imposed at that time under the City Area Leases Ordinance.
The policy developments leading to the grant to the Canberra Bowling Clubs lease under the provisions of the City Area Leases Ordinance 1936 occurred at a time when the ACT leasehold estate was administered by the Commonwealth Government and as a consequence, I am responding from a historical perspective alone.
Departmental records indicate that the club first approached the Department of the Capital Territory in September 1979 about the renewal of its twenty year term lease under the Lease (Special Purposes) Ordinance 1925 which was due to expire on 6 April 1980.
In 1970, the Leases (Special Purposes) Ordinance 1925 was amended at Section CAB to reduce the level of land rent to a nominal level for all those leases granted under the Ordinance with the exception of those for diplomatic purposes. A similar amendment was made to the City Area Leases Ordinance 1936. These amendments were made in the context of the Commonwealth Governments municipal budget initiatives for the ACT which saw the virtual abolition of land rent in favour of the introduction of higher municipal rates.
Whereas the City Area Leases Ordinance 1936 was subsequently amended in 1974 to allow land rent to be charged in certain situations for leases granted under that Ordinance after that date, the Leases (Special Purposes) Ordinance 1925 was never so amended.
This meant that if a lease for other then diplomatic purposes was to be
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