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Australian property law, or property law in Australia, are laws that regulate and prioritise the rights, interests and responsibilities of individuals in relation to "things" (property). These things are forms of "property" or "rights" to possession or ownership of an object. Property law orders or prioritises rights and classifies property as either real and tangible, such as land, or intangible, such as the right of an author to their literary works or personal but tangible, such as a book or a pencil. The scope of what constitutes a thing capable of being classified as property and when an individual or body corporate gains priority of interest over a thing has in legal scholarship been heavily debated on a philosophical level.
Land is the predominant focus of Western property law, including Australian property law. Legal developments in this field outweigh the development of other forms of property law, this is primarily due to the high value of land in comparison to other forms of property, such as chattels.
Each state in Australia has a different regime for the regulation and bureaucratisation of land. Property law is a largely statute-based but continues in important aspects to be influenced by the common law and principles that originate from Australia's history as a British colony, where land and estate law developed through the ambit of feudalism.
Property law is enabling in that it creates a system for evidencing, recognising and transferring title to land, facilitating its use as an economic instrument. Other legal instruments in property law that facilitate the private and commercial dealing of land include the mortgage, lease, covenant and easement.
All Australian colonies (now states and territories) adopted the Torrens system of land registration of title between 1857 and 1875. The Torrens system was introduced first in South Australia by Sir Robert Richard Torrens, the Registrar-General of Deeds, through the Real Property Act 1858 . [1] Victoria adopted the system with the Real Property Act 1862, [2] and New South Wales with the commencement of the Real Property Act 1862 on 1 January 1863. [3]
Most land in Australia is now held under the Torrens system, although remnants of the old system of land title still remain, called “general law land”. All land in the Australian Capital Territory is leasehold (effectively Torrens freehold), and much of the Northern Territory is held under Crown lease. Native title is now recognised as a form of land ownership. Some land remains as Crown land (i.e. in Australia, public land). [4]
In accordance with the principles of the Torrens system, each jurisdiction maintains a register of land titles of land in the jurisdiction that has been registered under the system. The register also shows the proprietor (owner) of the land. This system was devised to reduce the amount of fraud relating to land due to falsification of title deeds. It does so with "ownership" of the land being confirmed only upon registration of the property. That is, "it is not a system of registration of title but a system of title by registration". [5] This gives a purchaser "greater assurance, indeed certainty, of title". [6] The principle of "indefeasibility" of title - where a right has been entered on the register, it cannot be defeated by later rights except in certain circumstances - further protects the Torrens title holder. [7]
The Torrens system also provides for registration of other entitlements to land such as a mortgage, by which land is used to secure a loan.
The main legislation in each Australian jurisdiction regulating interests in land law in relation to property (negotiable instruments) and the scheme of registration (title) are:
State or Territory of Australia | Legislation regarding property | Legislation regarding Title |
---|---|---|
New South Wales | Real Property Act 1900 [8] | Conveyancing Act 1919 [9] |
Victoria | Property Law Act 1958 [10] | Sale of Land Act 1962 [11] |
Australian Capital Territory | Civil Law (Property) Act 2006 [12] | Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 [13] |
Queensland | Property Law Act 1974 [14] | Land Titles Act 1994 [15] |
Northern Territory | Law of Property Act [16] | Land Title Act [17] |
South Australia | Law of Property Act 1936 [18] | Real Property Act 1886 [19] |
Tasmania | Conveyancing and Law of Property Act 1884 [20] | Land Titles Act 1980 [21] |
Western Australia | Property Law Act 1969 [22] | Transfer of Land Act 1893 [23] |
Australia's law in relation to goods and chattels (items which are not land or intellectual property) follows that of the United Kingdom.
Australia follows the English traditions for intellectual property, and is a signatory of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and operates a system of automatic copyright. Other areas of Australian intellectual property include patents, designs and Plant breeders' rights.
Personal property is property that is movable. In common law systems, personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In civil law systems, personal property is often called movable property or movables—any property that can be moved from one location to another.
Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties.
In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts and completion.
The system of tort law in Australia is broadly similar to that in other common law countries. However, some divergences in approach have occurred as its independent legal system has developed.
Torrens title is a land registration and land transfer system, in which a state creates and maintains a register of land holdings, which serves as the conclusive evidence of title of the person recorded on the register as the proprietor (owner), and of all other interests recorded on the register.
A fixture, as a legal concept, means any physical property that is permanently attached (fixed) to real property. Property not affixed to real property is considered chattel property. Fixtures are treated as a part of real property, particularly in the case of a security interest. A classic example of a fixture is a building, which, in the absence of language to the contrary in a contract of sale, is considered part of the land itself and not a separate piece of property. Generally speaking, the test for deciding whether an article is a fixture or a chattel turns on the purpose of attachment. If the purpose was to enhance the land, the article is likely a fixture; if the article was affixed to enhance the use of the chattel itself, the article is likely a chattel.
Sir Robert Richard Torrens,, also known as Robert Richard Chute Torrens, was an Irish-born parliamentarian, writer, and land reformer. After a move to London in 1836, he became prominent in the early years of the Colony of South Australia, emigrating after being appointed to a civil service position there in 1840. He was Colonial Treasurer and Registrar-General from 1852 to 1857 and then the third Premier of South Australia for a single month in September 1857.
Deeds registration is a land management system whereby all important instruments which relate to the common law title to parcels of land are registered on a government-maintained register, to facilitate the transfer of title. The system had been used in some common law jurisdictions and continues to be used in some jurisdictions, including most of the United States.
Section 51(xxxi) is a subclause of section 51 of the Constitution of Australia. It empowers the Commonwealth to make laws regarding the acquisition of property, but stipulates that such acquisitions must be on just (fair) terms. The terms is sometimes referred to in shorthand as the 'just terms' provision.
The criminal law of Australia is the body of law in Australia that relates to crime.
Land registration is any of various systems by which matters concerning ownership, possession, or other rights in land are formally recorded to provide evidence of title, facilitate transactions, and prevent unlawful disposal. The information recorded and the protection provided by land registration varies widely by jurisdiction.
Australian property legislation refers to the different schemes of regulating property rights between each jurisdiction of the states and territories in Australia; combining legislation and receptive of common law. Despite differing statutes, the substantive effect in each jurisdiction is quite similar. The reason there is no unified national system for regulating property is the reservation of this power to the states in the constitution. There have been discussions about a co-operative system of regulation to be implemented between the states, conferring jurisdiction on the federal commonwealth in a similar manner done in the Corporations Act 2001.
Australian administrative law defines the extent of the powers and responsibilities held by administrative agencies of Australian governments. It is basically a common law system, with an increasing statutory overlay that has shifted its focus toward codified judicial review and to tribunals with extensive jurisdiction.
The law of contract in Australia is similar to other Anglo-American common law jurisdictions.
The Land Registration Authority is an agency of the Philippine government attached to the Department of Justice responsible for issuing decrees of registration and certificates of title and register documents, patents and other land transaction for the benefit of landowners, agrarian reform-beneficiaries and the registering public in general; providing a secure, stable and trustworthy record of land ownership and recorded interests therein so as to promote social and economic well-being and contribute to the national development.
Australian trust law is the law of trusts as it is applied in Australia. It is derived from, and largely continues to follow English trust law, as modified by state and federal legislation. A number of unique features of Australian trust law arise from interactions with the Australian systems of company law, family law and taxation.
In law, an equitable interest is an "interest held by virtue of an equitable title or claimed on equitable grounds, such as the interest held by a trust beneficiary". The equitable interest is a right in equity that may be protected by an equitable remedy. This concept exists only in systems influenced by the common law tradition, such as New Zealand, England, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
English property law is the law of acquisition, sharing and protection of valuable assets in England and Wales. While part of the United Kingdom, many elements of Scots property law are different. In England, property law encompasses four main topics:
Breskvar v Wall, was an Australian court case, decided in the High Court on 13 December 1971. The case was an influential decision in property law, specifically the effect of obtaining title by registration under the Torrens title system, the application of the fraud exception to the principle of indefeasibility and whether Frazer v Walker should be followed in Australia. The High Court followed Frazer v Walker in upholding that a bona fide purchaser for value without notice of the fraud obtained an effective title even though the person they purchased from was registered by fraud against the original owner.
The Real Property Act 1858, 21 Vict. c. 15, is the short title of an act of the Parliament of South Australia, with the long title "An Act to simplify the Laws relating to the transfer and encumbrance of freehold and other interests in Land". After being introduced as a private member's bill by Sir Robert Richard Torrens, it was passed by both houses and assented to by the Governor of South Australia, on 27 January 1858.