{"id":"royal-womens-hospital-land-act-2012","name":"Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012","slug":"royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":178524,"registerId":"vic-royal-womens-hospital-land-act-2012-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012","content":"Version No. 001\n\n**Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012**\n\n**No. 25 of 2012**\n\nVersion as at  \n29 June 2012\n\n**TABLE OF PROVISIONS**\n\n*Section Page*\n\nPart 1—Preliminary 1\n\n1 Purpose 1\n\n2 Commencement 1\n\nPart 2—Revocation of Reservation 2\n\n3 Revocation of reservation—former Royal Women's Hospital  \nland 2\n\n4 Revocation of reservation—Royal Dental Hospital land 2\n\n5 Consequences of revoking reservation—Part 2 2\n\n6 Preservation of lease 3\n\n7 Registrar of Titles to make amendments necessary under Part 2 3\n\n__________________\n\nSCHEDULE—Land in Respect of which Reservation is Revoked 4\n\n═══════════════\n\nENDNOTES 6\n\n1. General Information 6\n\n2. Table of Amendments 7\n\n3. Explanatory Details 8\n\n**Version No.** **001**\n\n**Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012**\n\n**No. 25 of 2012**\n\nVersion as at  \n29 June 2012\n\n**The Parliament of Victoria enacts:**\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n\t1 Purpose\n\nThe main purpose of this Act is to revoke a permanent reservation over land in Carlton, part of which was previously occupied by the Royal Women's Hospital and part of which is currently occupied by the Royal Dental Hospital.\n\n\t2 Commencement\n\n(1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act comes into operation on a day or days to be proclaimed.\n\n(2) If a provision of this Act does not come into operation before 31 December 2012, it comes into operation on that day.\n\n__________________\n\nPart 2—Revocation of Reservation\n\n\t3 Revocation of reservation—former Royal Women's Hospital land\n\ns. 3\n\n(1) The Order in Council specified in item 1 of the Schedule is revoked to the extent that it applies to Crown Allotment 2008 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke.\n\n(2) To the extent that it has any continuing operation, Crown Grant Volume 1849 Folio 722 is revoked to the extent that it applies to Crown Allotment 2008 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke.\n\n\t4 Revocation of reservation—Royal Dental Hospital land\n\nThe Order in Council specified in item 2 of the Schedule is revoked to the extent that it applies to Crown Allotment 2007 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke.\n\n\t5 Consequences of revoking reservation—Part 2\n\nOn the revocation by this Part of an Order in Council reserving land—\n\n(a) that land is taken to be unalienated land of the Crown, freed and discharged from all trusts, limitations, reservations, restrictions, encumbrances, estates and interests; and\n\n(b) the appointment of any committee of management of that land is revoked to the extent that the appointment relates to the land; and\n\n(c) the appointment of any trustee of that land is revoked to the extent that the appointment relates to that land; and\n\n(d) any regulations under section 13 of the **Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978** are revoked to the extent that they apply to that land.\n\n\t6 Preservation of lease\n\ns. 6\n\n(1) Nothing in section 5 is to be taken to affect the continuing existence and operation of the Royal Dental Hospital land lease.\n\n(2) In this section, ***Royal Dental Hospital land lease*** means the lease entered into over land that includes Crown Allotment 2007 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke, by the Minister for Planning of the State of Victoria with Dental Health Services Victoria (ABN 55264981997) on 26 November 2003.\n\n\t7 Registrar of Titles to make amendments necessary under Part 2\n\nThe Registrar of Titles must make any recordings in or amendments to the Register kept under the **Transfer of Land Act 1958** that are necessary because of the operation of any provision of this Part.\n\n__________________\n\nSCHEDULE\n\nSch. 1\n\nLand in Respect of which Reservation is Revoked\n\nItem 1 Former Royal Women's Hospital Land, Carlton\n\n| Situation and area of land: | Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke, 9202 square metres, being Crown Allotment 2008 at Carlton. |\n| --- | --- |\n| Instrument, date and publication of reservation: | Order in Council dated 30 March 1886, published in the Government Gazette dated 2 April 1886, page 900. |\n| Description of land by reference to Government Gazette: | Government Gazette dated 4 March 1886, page 671. |\n| Particulars of Crown grant: | Crown Grant Volume 1849 Folio 722. |\n| Purpose of reservation: | Site for a Lying-in-Hospital. |\n| Extent of revocation: | Crown Allotment 2008 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke. |\n\n\nItem 2 Royal Dental Hospital Land, Carlton\n\n| Situation and area of land: | Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke, 994 square metres, being Crown Allotment 2007 at Carlton. |\n| --- | --- |\n| Instrument, date and publication of reservation: | Order in Council dated 30 March 1886, published in the Government Gazette dated 2 April 1886, page 900. |\n| Description of land by reference to Government Gazette: | Government Gazette dated 4 March 1886, page 671. |\n| Purpose of reservation: | Site for a Lying-in-Hospital. |\n| Extent of revocation: | Crown Allotment 2007 at Carlton, Parish of Jika Jika, County of Bourke. |\n\n\nSch. 1\n\n═══════════════\n\nENDNOTES\n\n1. General Information\n\n\n *Minister's second reading speech—*\n\n *Legislative Assembly: 28 March 2012*\n\n *Legislative Council: 19 April 2012*\n\nThe long title for the Bill for this Act was \"A Bill for an Act to revoke a reservation over land previously occupied by the Royal Women's Hospital and for other purposes.\"\n\nThe **Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012** was assented to on 8 May 2012 and came into operation on 29 June 2012: Special Gazette (No. 214) 28 June 2012 page 1.\n\nEndnotes\n\n1. Table of Amendments\n\n\nThere are no amendments made to the **Royal Women's Hospital Land Act 2012** by Acts and subordinate instruments.\n\nEndnotes\n\n1. Explanatory Details\n\n\nNo entries at date of publication.\n\nEndnotes","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose. The long title indicates the Bill was 'to revoke a reservation over land previously occupied by the Royal Women's Hospital and for other purposes' — the 'other purposes' being the concurrent revocation over the adjacent Dental Hospital land. The Act does exactly this and no more. There is no scope creep; it is a surgical, single-purpose statute."},"complexity_factors":["Very short statute (7 operative sections plus Schedule)","Single, narrow purpose: revocation of two specific land reservations","Only 1 defined term ('Royal Dental Hospital land lease' in section 6)","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 and Transfer of Land Act 1958)","Straightforward procedural mechanics with no nested conditions or exceptions beyond the lease preservation in s.6","Schedule contains specific land descriptions but these are factual rather than legal complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"This law removes a special legal protection (called a 'reservation') over two pieces of land in Carlton, Melbourne. One piece used to be the Royal Women's Hospital; the other is still the Royal Dental Hospital.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Removes the reservation**: Since 1886, these two parcels of land were legally reserved for hospital use. This Act cancels that restriction, meaning the land is no longer locked into being used only for hospitals.\n- **Returns land to Crown control**: Once the reservation is lifted, the land becomes 'unalienated Crown land' — essentially, it goes back to being ordinary government-owned land that can be sold, leased, or developed (subject to other laws).\n- **Protects the existing lease**: The Dental Hospital has a lease that runs until 2023. This Act specifically protects that lease — the hospital can keep operating there even though the underlying land status has changed.\n- **Updates land titles**: The Registrar of Titles must update the official property records to reflect these changes.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The Victorian Government (which gains flexibility to use or sell the land)\n- Dental Health Services Victoria (which keeps its lease but now deals with Crown land rather than reserved land)\n- Anyone interested in developing the former Women's Hospital site (which can now be repurposed)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThe Royal Women's Hospital moved to new premises in Parkville in 2008. This Act 'unlocks' the old Carlton site so it can be sold or redeveloped, while ensuring the Dental Hospital next door isn't disrupted. It's essentially housekeeping legislation to modernise land titles after a major hospital relocation."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This version does not extend beyond the Act's stated, original purpose: it revokes historic reservations over the two specified Crown allotments and implements the consequent clearing of trusts/appointments and title amendments. The Act remains narrowly focused on those parcels and includes one limited exception (preservation of the Royal Dental Hospital lease). There is no material expansion of scope beyond revoking the reservations and recording the consequences."},"complexity_factors":["Short Act: 7 sections plus a Schedule.","Very few defined terms; only one expressly defined term within the Act (\"Royal Dental Hospital land lease\") in s 6(2).","Limited number of cross-references: Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 (s 5(d)) and Transfer of Land Act 1958 (s 7).","Simple, discrete revocation actions (ss 3–4) tied to two specific parcels listed in the Schedule.","One explicit carve-out/exception preserving an existing lease (s 6), creating a single conditional complexity.","Title amendment duty on Registrar (s 7) requires administrative action but not complex legal mechanics."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this Act does (mechanically)**\n\n- The Act removes (revokes) old legal reservations that once set aside two small parcels of Crown land in Carlton for use as a \"Lying-in-Hospital\" (the Royal Women's Hospital and adjoining Royal Dental Hospital sites). (See Purpose and Schedule; revocations in ss 3–4 and the Schedule.)\n\n- When those reservations are revoked, the land is treated as \"unalienated land of the Crown\" and is freed from the historic trusts, restrictions and appointments that previously governed it. That means the legal limits created by the original reservation no longer apply to those parcels. (See s 5(a).)\n\n- The Act also cancels any committee-of-management or trustee appointments and relevant regulations that applied to the reserved land, to the extent those appointments or regulations related to these two parcels. (See ss 5(b)–(d).)\n\n- One explicit exception: the existing lease to Dental Health Services Victoria (the Royal Dental Hospital land lease dated 26 November 2003) is preserved and remains in force despite the revocation. (See s 6.)\n\n- The Registrar of Titles must update the land titles register to record whatever changes flow from the revocation. (See s 7.)\n\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- The Crown (state government) — because the parcels become unalienated Crown land and the Crown (through its agencies) controls what happens next to that land (s 5 and s 7).\n- The holder of the existing Royal Dental Hospital lease (Dental Health Services Victoria) — their lease continues unchanged by this Act (s 6).\n- Any body or person who previously held a trust, committee appointment, or statutory regulation over the two parcels — those legal arrangements are revoked to the extent they related to these lots (s 5).\n- Potential future purchasers, developers or tenants — the revocation removes the historic reservation which may permit the Crown to deal with the land under ordinary Crown-land processes (see effect of s 5 together with s 7).\n\n\n**Why it matters (claimed purpose and practical effects)**\n\n- The Act’s stated purpose is to revoke an historic reservation over the former Royal Women's Hospital and adjacent Royal Dental Hospital land so the Crown can treat the parcels as ordinary Crown land (s 1 and Schedule). That is achieved by removing the reservation instruments and clearing the title of historic trusts and appointments (ss 3–5).\n\n- Practical consequence: removing the reservation mechanically allows the Crown to deal with the parcels without the legal constraints tied to the original \"Lying-in-Hospital\" reservation. In practice, that can permit future leasing, sale, redevelopment or reallocation under whatever Crown-land or planning processes then apply (the Act itself does not itself sell or re-vest the land; it removes the reservation). (See s 5 and s 7.)\n\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade-offs (implementation and effects on choices)**\n\n- Who decides: after the reservation is revoked, decisions about the land will be taken by the Crown and its agents under applicable statutes and policies (the Act itself does not specify the disposal path). The Registrar is required to update title records to reflect the change (s 7).\n\n- Incentives and beneficiaries: the most immediate potential private beneficiary is any future purchaser or lessee who can acquire land no longer constrained by the 1886 reservation. The preserved Dental Hospital lease protects the incumbent operator from displacement (s 6).\n\n- Costs and opportunity costs: revoking a reservation removes the legal protection for the land’s historic public-purpose use. That creates a loss of the reserved status that the public previously had, and this loss is irreversible under this Act — once revoked the reservation’s limits no longer bind the parcels (s 5(a)). Any public benefit previously tied to that reservation is therefore converted into the Crown’s discretion over unreserved land.\n\n- Administrative/implementation costs and risks are modest but concrete: the Registrar of Titles must amend registers (s 7); care must be taken to ensure the Dental Hospital lease continues to operate as intended and that all encumbrances are properly recorded or removed to match the Act’s effect (s 6). Errors in title recording could create legal disputes.\n\n- Compliance burden: minimal for private parties beyond the Royal Dental Hospital lessee. The Act itself imposes no new compliance obligations on the public beyond the normal processes for land dealings and title recording.\n\n\n**Legal mechanics and cross-references**\n\n- The Act revokes specified Orders in Council and a Crown grant as they apply to the two Crown Allotments (ss 3–4 and Schedule).\n- It explicitly interacts with existing statutory regimes: it removes regulations under section 13 of the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 to the extent they applied to these parcels (s 5(d)), and it requires title changes under the Transfer of Land Act 1958 (s 7).\n\n\n**Bottom line**\n\nThe statute is narrowly targeted: it clears historic reservations from two defined Crown allotments in Carlton, frees those parcels from the legal restrictions tied to the 1886 reservation, preserves an existing dental-hospital lease, and requires the titles to be updated. It does not itself transfer ownership to a private party or specify a new public use; it simply changes the legal status so the Crown may deal with the land under ordinary processes.\n"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on available metadata, the Act appears to have remained consistent with its original intent since commencement in 2012. The version history shows an 'as made' version and a consolidated version, suggesting only minor or technical amendments — if any — have occurred, without any fundamental change in scope or purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Highly specific and narrow subject matter — limited to one parcel or set of parcels of land","Appears to be a single-purpose Act with limited operative provisions","Insufficient legislative text provided to assess technical legal complexity","Land Acts of this type typically involve straightforward property law concepts without extensive cross-referencing to other statutes","Short Act (Act number 25/2012 suggests modest legislative scope)"],"plain_english_summary":"This Victorian law governs the legal status and handling of land tied to the Royal Women’s Hospital in Parkville. It affects the hospital and its governing body, the Victorian government, and stakeholders who rely on the hospital’s facilities.\n\nIt matters because it clarifies ownership and use of hospital land, can control transfers or redevelopment, and resolves title or administrative issues that impact the hospital’s operation and the community it serves."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012","history":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012/history","analysis":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/royal-women-s-hospital-land-act-2012/documents"}}