{"id":"flemington-land-act-1973","name":"Flemington Land Act 1973","slug":"flemington-land-act-1973","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":173357,"registerId":"vic-flemington-land-act-1973-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Flemington Land Act 1973","content":"Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documentsi\nVersion No. 001\nFlemington Land Act 1973\nAct No. 8484/1973\nVersion incorporating amendments as at 7 August 2000\nTABLE OF PROVISIONS\nSection Page\n1. Short title and commencement 2\n2. Revocation of permanent reservation 3\n3. Confirmation of Crown grant 3\n4. Confirmation of appointment of committee of management 3\n5. Power to lease land 3\n__________________\nSCHEDULE 5\n═══════════════\nENDNOTES 6\n1. General Information 6\n2. Table of Amendments 7\n3. Explanatory Details 8\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents1\nVersion No. 001\nFlemington Land Act 1973\nAct No. 8484/1973\nVersion incorporating amendments as at 7 August 2000\nAn Act relating to certain Crown Land in the Parish of Doutta\nGalla.\nPreamble\nWHEREAS certain land in the Parish of Doutta\nGalla was by an Order in Council dated the 30th\nday of December, 18861 permanently reserved as a\nsite for public recreation:\nAND WHEREAS the said land by Crown grant\ndated the 7th day of January, 1887 entered in the\nregister book in the Office of Titles volume 1915\nfolium 382994 was vested in the Board of Land\nand Works and the corporation of the Borough of\nFlemington and Kensington (in the grant called the\nBorough of Kensington and Flemington) as\ntrustees:\nAND WHEREAS the said land was transferred\nand surrendered to the Crown by a transfer\nregistered in the Office of Titles on the 3rd day of\nAugust, 1889:\nAND WHEREAS an Order in Council dated the\n30th day of September, 18892 purported to\npermanently reserve the said land as a site for a\npublic park:\nAND WHEREAS a Crown grant entered in the\nregister book in the Office of Titles volume 2441\nfolium 488130 dated the 4th day of October, 1889\npurported to vest the said land in the Board of\nLand and Works and the corporation of the\nBorough of Flemington and Kensington as\ntrustees:\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n2\nAND WHEREAS pursuant to section 3 of the\nPublic Reserves Act 1914 the council of the city\nof Melbourne was by Order in Council dated the\n10th day of August, 1915 appointed the committee\nof management for the said land:\nAND WHEREAS that portion of the said land\nshown hatched on the plan in the Schedule is\noccupied by the Flemington and Kensington\nBowling Club:\nAND WHEREAS it is expedient to revoke the\npermanent reservation of the land for public\nrecreation and to confirm the permanent\nreservation of the land as a site for a public park:\nAND WHEREAS it is expedient to confirm the\nCrown grant dated the 4th October, 1889 of the\nsaid land to the Board of Land and Works and the\ncorporation of the Borough of Flemington and\nKensington and to appoint the corporation of the\ncity of Melbourne as the committee of\nmanagement of the said land:\nAND WHEREAS it is expedient to authorize\ncertain leases of the whole or any part of the said\nland shown hatched on the plan in the Schedule:\nBE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Queen's Most\nExcellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the\nLegislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Victoria\nin this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of\nthe same as follows (that is to say):\n1. Short title and commencement\n(1) This Act may be cited as the Flemington Land\nAct 1973.\n(2) This Act shall come into operation on the day\nupon which it receives the Royal Assent.\ns. 1\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n3\n2. Revocation of permanent reservation\nThe Order in Council dated the 30th day of\nDecember, 1886 relating to the land described in\nthe Crown grant entered in the register book in the\nOffice of Titles volume 2441 folium 488130 is\nhereby revoked and the Order in Council dated the\n30th day of September, 1889 permanently\nreserving the said land as a site for a public park is\nhereby confirmed.\n3. Confirmation of Crown grant\nThe Crown grant entered in the register book of\nthe Office of Titles volume 2441 folium 488130 is\nhereby confirmed and shall be and be deemed to\nhave always been valid and effectual according to\nits tenor.\n4. Confirmation of appointment of committee of\nmanagement\nIt is hereby declared that the corporation of the\ncity of Melbourne is the committee of\nmanagement of the land referred to in Crown\ngrant volume 2441 folium 488130.\n5. Power to lease land\n(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any\nAct, the corporation of the city of Melbourne as\ncommittee of management may from time to time\ngrant leases of the whole or any part of the land\ndelineated and shown hatched on the plan in the\nSchedule for the purposes of a bowling green and\namenities connected therewith including the\nerection of buildings.\n(2) A lease granted under this section—\n(a) shall be subject to such covenants conditions\nand reservations as the corporation thinks fit;\ns. 2\nS. 5(2)(a)\namended by\nNo. 9019\ns. 2(1)(Sch.\nitem 259).\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n4\n(b) shall be for a term not exceeding 21 years;\nand\n(c) shall be subject to approval by the Governor\nin Council.\n(3) The moneys received by way of rent under any\nlease granted under this section shall be applied\nby the corporation towards the maintenance and\nimprovement of any part of the land permanently\nreserved by the hereinbefore recited Order in\nCouncil of the 30th day of September, 1889 not\nleased under this section or for any other purpose\napproved by the Minister.\n(4) No compensation shall be payable by the Crown\nin respect of any act matter or thing done under or\narising out of this section.\n__________________\ns. 5\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n5\nSCHEDULE\nLand in the Parish of Doutta Galla which may be leased by the corporation\nof the city of Melbourne.\n═══════════════\nSch.\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n6\nENDNOTES\n1. General Information\nThe Flemington Land Act 1973 was assented to on 27 November 1973 and\ncame into operation on 27 November 1973: section 1(2).\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n7\n2. Table of Amendments\nThis Version incorporates amendments made to the Flemington Land Act\n1973 by Acts and subordinate instruments.\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\nStatute Law Revision Act 1977, No. 9019/1977\nAssent Date: 17.5.77\nCommencement Date: 27.11.73: s. 2(2)(f)\nCurrent State: This information relates only to the provision/s\namending the Flemington Land Act 1973\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 8484/1973\nFlemington Land Act 1973\n8\n3. Explanatory Details\n1 Preamble: Government Gazette 7 January 1887 page 18.\n2 Preamble: Government Gazette 4 October 1889 page 3327.\nEndnotes","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: resolving the legal status of a specific parcel of land in Flemington and enabling the City of Melbourne to lease part of it to a bowling club. There has been no scope creep; the Act has not been expanded to cover other lands, other purposes, or broader planning or recreational powers."},"complexity_factors":["Very short statute (5 operative sections plus preamble and schedule)","Single, specific purpose: validating historical land transactions for one specific parcel","Minimal defined terms (none in a dedicated interpretation section)","No nested conditional logic or cross-referencing to other Acts beyond a single reference to the Public Reserves Act 1914 in the preamble","Straightforward procedural provisions with clear temporal and spatial boundaries","Only one minor amendment since 1973 (a formatting change to section 5(2)(a) in 1977)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis Act fixes a century-old paperwork mess involving a piece of public land in Flemington, Melbourne (in the Parish of Doutta Galla).\n\n**The backstory:**\n- In 1886, some land was set aside for \"public recreation\"\n- In 1887, it was granted to the local council as trustees\n- In 1889, it was handed back to the Crown (the government), then supposedly reserved again as a \"public park\" and granted to the council again\n- By 1915, the City of Melbourne was managing the land\n- Part of this land was being used by the Flemington and Kensington Bowling Club\n\n**What the Act actually does:**\n\n1. **Cleans up the reservation status** — It cancels the old 1886 \"public recreation\" reservation and confirms the 1889 \"public park\" reservation was valid all along\n\n2. **Fixes the land title** — It confirms that the 1889 Crown grant (the official document giving the land to the council) is legally valid, even though there were technical doubts about it\n\n3. **Confirms who's in charge** — It officially names the City of Melbourne as the \"committee of management\" (the body responsible for looking after the land)\n\n4. **Allows leasing for the bowling club** — It gives the City of Melbourne power to lease the hatched area on the plan (where the bowling club operates) for up to 21 years, specifically for bowling greens and related buildings. The Governor in Council must approve these leases, and any rent money must go back into maintaining the rest of the park\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The City of Melbourne (as land manager)\n- The Flemington and Kensington Bowling Club (which gets legal certainty for its lease)\n- The general public (who use the park)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this Act, the bowling club's occupation of the land might have been legally questionable, and the council's authority to manage and lease the land was uncertain due to historical paperwork errors. This Act tidies up those loose ends from the 1880s."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act implements the purposes stated in its preamble: it revokes the 1886 reservation, confirms the 1889 reservation and Crown grant, declares the City of Melbourne the committee of management, and authorises limited leases of the hatched area for bowling‑related purposes subject to a 21‑year cap and Governor in Council approval (ss.2–5). It does not extend authority beyond those stated measures or broaden the range of permitted uses."},"complexity_factors":["Historical title and reservation changes spanning multiple 19th‑century Orders in Council and Crown grants referenced in the preamble (affects interpretation of vesting and validity).","Confirmation of title and retrospective validation of the 1889 Crown grant (s.3) introduces legal-finality considerations for prior transactions.","Statutory appointment of committee of management to a municipal corporation (s.4) creates administrative discretion over land use.","Specific leasing power with multiple constraints: permitted purpose limited to bowling green and amenities, term cap of 21 years, Governor in Council approval required (s.5(1)–(2)).","Financial and accountability rule requiring rent to fund maintenance or Minister‑approved uses, creating earmarking of receipts (s.5(3)).","Non‑compensation clause removes Crown liability for acts under the leasing power, shifting risk to affected parties (s.5(4))."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act confirms the Crown grant and the permanent reservation of specified land in Flemington as a public park, declares the City of Melbourne the land's committee of management, and authorises leasing of the hatched portion for a bowling green and related amenities.\n\nLeases may run up to 21 years and require Governor in Council approval; rent proceeds must be used for maintenance of the remaining reserved land or other Minister‑approved purposes, and the Crown is not liable for compensation for acts under the leasing power (s.5(2)–(4))."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient content is available to determine whether the scope of the Act changed from its original intent. The version history indicates the Act remains in force as made, suggesting no major amendments have altered its scope, but this cannot be confirmed without the full text of the provisions."},"complexity_factors":["Insufficient legislative text provided — only metadata and structural headings are present, preventing meaningful substantive analysis","Likely a narrow, single-purpose land Act dealing with a specific geographic area, which typically involves limited complexity","Historical 1973 legislation may reference older legal frameworks or land tenure concepts that require contextual knowledge to interpret","Potential interaction with broader Victorian land management legislation (e.g., Crown Land Acts) could add some complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"The Flemington Land Act 1973 governs the ownership, use and management of specified Crown land in Melbourne’s Flemington area, likely affecting landowners, lessees and government bodies responsible for that land. It provides legal certainty about control and permitted uses and remains in force.\n\nNote: the supplied source contains only metadata and version history, so the Act’s specific provisions cannot be confirmed here."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973","history":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973/history","analysis":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/flemington-land-act-1973/documents"}}