{"id":"victoria-square-act-2005","name":"Victoria Square Act 2005","slug":"victoria-square-act-2005","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110693,"registerId":"sa-victoria-square-act-2005-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Victoria Square Act 2005","content":"South Australia\nVictoria Square Act 2005\nAn Act to provide for the construction and operation of a tramline in Victoria Square; to provide for the designation of certain land within Victoria Square as park land; to make a related amendment to the Passenger Transport Act 1994; and for other purposes.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tDedication of land for purposes of tramline\n5\tPower to construct tramline etc\n6\tDesignation of other land in Victoria Square as park land or as road\n7\tPresumption as to closed road boundaries\n8\tNotice of deposit in GRO\n9\tDuties of Registrar-General and other persons\nSchedule 1—Defined area\nSchedule 2—Areas of closed road\nSchedule 3—Related amendment\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1\tAmendment provisions\nPart 2—Amendment of Passenger Transport Act 1994\n2\tAmendment of Schedule 3—Public transport assets\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Victoria Square Act 2005.\n2—Commencement\nThis Act will come into operation on a day to be fixed by proclamation.\n3—Interpretation\n\t(1)\tIn this Act—\nareas of closed road means the portions of land in Victoria Square described in Schedule 2 as being areas of closed road, being the areas more particularly delineated in the plan deposited in the GRO as GRO number 267/2005;\ndefined area means the portion of land in Victoria Square described in Schedule 1 as the area within which a tramline is proposed to be constructed, being the area more particularly delineated in the plan deposited in the GRO as GRO number 268/2005;\nGRO means the General Registry Office at Adelaide;\nRegistrar-General includes the Registrar-General of Deeds;\nVictoria Square means Victoria Square in the City of Adelaide.\n\t(2)\tA reference in this Act to a tramline is a reference to a system of tramlines or light rail transit lines comprising one or more tracks and any ancillary equipment and structures.\n4—Dedication of land for purposes of tramline\n\t(1)\tThe Minister may, by deposit of a plan in the Lands Titles Registration Office, dedicate a corridor of land within the defined area for the purposes of a tramline.\n\t(2)\tThe Minister may, however, exclude from the dedicated corridor of land any land that is a public road.\n\t(3)\tThe Minister may, by deposit of a plan in the Lands Titles Registration Office, vary the boundaries of the dedicated corridor of land (provided that the corridor, as so varied, continues to lie wholly within the defined area).\n\t(4)\tIf land is dedicated for the purposes of a tramline under this section—\n\t(a)\tany other dedication of that land, or trust applying to that land, and any status of the land as community land under the Local Government Act 1999 is taken to be extinguished; and\n\t(b)\tsubject to any instrument under subsection (5), the dedicated land will be under the care, control and management of the Minister.\n\t(5)\tThe Minister may, by instrument in writing, place the dedicated land under the care, control and management of a person or body specified in the instrument subject to such conditions as the Minister specifies in the instrument.\n\t(6)\tThe Minister may, by instrument in writing—\n\t(a)\tvary or revoke the conditions on which the dedicated land was placed under the care, control and management of a person or body; or\n\t(b)\twithdraw the land from the care, control and management of that person or body,\nand make such related or ancillary provisions as the Minister thinks fit.\n\t(7)\tThe Minister must cause notice of any instrument under subsection (5) or (6) to be—\n\t(a)\tpublished in the Gazette; and\n\t(b)\tgiven to the Registrar-General,\nas soon as practicable after it is made.\n\t(8)\tThe Minister may, in conjunction with the operation of a preceding subsection, by instrument deposited in the GRO make any other provision relating to the status, vesting or management of land as the Minister thinks fit (including by providing for the reservation of any land for a specified purpose).\n\t(9)\tAny provision made by a plan or instrument under this section will have effect according to its terms and despite any other provision of any other Act or law.\n5—Power to construct tramline etc\nThe Minister responsible for the administration of the Passenger Transport Act 1994 may, for the purpose of the construction and operation of a tramline in Victoria Square, erect such structures on land in the defined area and carry out such other works on land in, or adjacent to, the defined area as the Minister thinks fit.\n6—Designation of other land in Victoria Square as park land or as road\n\t(1)\tThe Minister may by deposit of plans in the GRO, on the recommendation of the Surveyor-General, do any of the following:\n\t(a)\tdesignate any areas of closed road as being reserved for use as park land or as being incorporated into the Adelaide Park Lands (within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1999) as park land;\n\t(b)\tdesignate land within Victoria Square that was, immediately before the commencement of this section, being used as a road (or as part of a road) as being a public road or a part of a public road.\n\t(2)\tThe Minister may, as part of a plan deposited in the GRO under subsection (1)(b), on the recommendation of the Surveyor-General, designate any land within the operation of that paragraph as having been established in accordance with the Roads (Opening and Closing) Act 1991.\n\t(3)\tThe Minister may, in conjunction with depositing a plan in the GRO under this section, or at a later time by plan filed or deposited in the Lands Titles Registration Office, on the recommendation of the Surveyor-General determine the location of the boundary of any road in existence immediately before the commencement of this section where the Surveyor-General has certified that there is a degree of uncertainty as to the location of such a boundary.\n\t(4)\tThe Minister may, in conjunction with the operation of a preceding subsection, by instrument deposited in the GRO make any provision relating to the status, vesting or management of land as the Minister thinks fit (including by providing for the reservation of any land for a specified purpose).\n\t(5)\tAny provision made by a plan or instrument under this section will have effect according to its terms and despite any other provision of any other Act or law.\n7—Presumption as to closed road boundaries\nTo avoid doubt, the boundaries of those areas of closed road marked as area \"A\" and area \"B\" on the plan set out in Schedule 2 will be conclusively presumed to be the boundaries of the road authorised by the Victoria-square Thoroughfare Act 1883.\n8—Notice of deposit in GRO\nIf the Minister deposits a plan or instrument in the GRO under this Act, the Minister must give public notice of that fact within a reasonable time after the plan or instrument is deposited.\n9—Duties of Registrar-General and other persons\nIf a plan or instrument is deposited in the Lands Titles Registration Office or in the GRO under this Act or notification is given by the Minister of an instrument under this Act—\n\t(a)\tthe Registrar-General must amend, cancel or replace any document of title affected and make any entry in or amendment of the Register Book or the Register of Crown leases as required in consequence of the plan or instrument; and\n\t(b)\tany other person required or authorised under an Act or law to record instruments or transactions relating to land must take any action necessary to give effect to the plan or instrument.\nSchedule 1—Defined area\nThe area within which a tramline is proposed to be constructed is the area bounded by a bold line on the plan below:\n\nSchedule 2—Areas of closed road\nAreas of closed road are indicated by hatching and cross hatching on the plan below:\n\nSchedule 3—Related amendment\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1—Amendment provisions\nIn this Schedule, a provision under a heading referring to the amendment of a specified Act amends the Act so specified.\nPart 2—Amendment of Passenger Transport Act 1994\n2—Amendment of Schedule 3—Public transport assets\nSchedule 3, clause 4(d)—delete \"Victoria Square (Adelaide)\" and substitute:\nAdelaide\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal Act\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n2005\n64\nVictoria Square Act 2005\n1.12.2005\n12.1.2006 (Gazette 12.1.2006 p44)\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"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"},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the actual text of the Victoria Square Act 2005 was not provided. Only a 'Page Not Found' error from the South Australian legislation website was submitted. No comparison between original and current intent is possible."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was provided — only a website error page was submitted for analysis","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without the actual text of the Act","Score of 1 reflects absence of content, not simplicity of the underlying legislation"],"plain_english_summary":"**⚠️ Content Unavailable — Analysis Not Possible**\n\nThe legislation text you've provided is not the actual content of the *Victoria Square Act 2005* (South Australia). Instead, it is a **'Page Not Found' error message** from the South Australian legislation website (legislation.sa.gov.au), indicating that the hyperlink or bookmark used to retrieve this Act is broken or outdated — likely due to a website update that occurred on 24 March 2026.\n\n**What this means for you:**\n- The actual text of the *Victoria Square Act 2005* could not be retrieved and was not provided for analysis.\n- No meaningful legal summary, complexity assessment, or scope analysis can be produced from an error page.\n\n**What you can do:**\n- Visit [legislation.sa.gov.au](https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au) directly and search for the *Victoria Square Act 2005*.\n- Report broken links to OPCWeb@sa.gov.au as suggested on the error page.\n- Resubmit the actual legislative text once retrieved for a full analysis."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act changes the legal status and management of land within Victoria Square by enabling a tram corridor dedication and extinguishing prior dedications/community‑land status (s4(1)–(4)). It empowers the Minister to construct and operate tram infrastructure (s5) and to redesignate closed road areas as parkland or public road (s6). It also alters the Passenger Transport Act asset list by substituting 'Adelaide' for 'Victoria Square (Adelaide)' (Schedule 3, Part 2, cl 2), broadening the asset description."},"complexity_factors":["Broad ministerial discretion to dedicate, vary, transfer care or withdraw management of land (s4(1)–(6))","Multiple formal deposit and publication steps across two registries (Lands Titles Registration Office and GRO) and required public notice (s4(1),(3),8)","Registry and administrative consequences imposed on Registrar‑General and other recording authorities (s9)","Extinguishment of prior dedications, trusts and community‑land status on dedication (s4(4)(a))","Interaction and potential override of other statutes (Local Government Act 1999, Roads (Opening and Closing) Act 1991, Passenger Transport Act 1994) with explicit 'despite any other Act' clauses (s4(9), s6(5), Schedule 3)","Requirement for Surveyor‑General recommendations for road/park designations and boundary determinations (s6(1),(2),(3))","Conclusive presumption fixing boundaries for specified closed road areas (s7)","Mechanisms to resolve pre‑existing boundary uncertainty and to make retrospective status/vesting changes by plan or instrument (s6(3),(4))"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act lets the Minister set aside a corridor in Victoria Square for a tramline, erect and operate tram infrastructure, and reclassify parts of the Square as parkland or public road. It also amends the Passenger Transport Act's listing of public transport assets. The Minister decides on dedication, management transfers and boundary adjustments and must deposit plans/instruments in the land registries; the Act does not specify who funds construction."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains tightly focused on its original purpose: enabling tram construction through Victoria Square and managing the associated land use changes. The scope has not expanded beyond this specific infrastructure project."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 defined terms in the interpretation section (section 3), with straightforward definitions","Heavy reliance on deposited plans and maps (GRO numbers 267/2005 and 268/2005) — the legal effect depends on documents external to the Act itself","Multiple subsections granting discretionary powers to the Minister (sections 4, 5, 6), but structured in parallel rather than nested","Two 'despite any other Act or law' override clauses (sections 4(9) and 6(5)) that create legal supremacy","Cross-reference to three other Acts: Passenger Transport Act 1994, Local Government Act 1999, and Roads (Opening and Closing) Act 1991","Schedule-based structure with three schedules, but Schedules 1 and 2 are essentially placeholders referring to plans rather than containing substantive text","No exceptions to exceptions — conditional logic is flat (if X, then Y) rather than layered"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis Act clears the way for building a tramline through Victoria Square in Adelaide. It gives the Minister special powers to:\n\n- **Dedicate land** (formally set aside) a corridor through Victoria Square specifically for tram tracks\n- **Build the tramline** and any supporting structures needed\n- **Redesignate surrounding land** — converting some closed roads into park land, and confirming other bits as proper public roads\n- **Override other laws** if they get in the way — any plan or instrument made under this Act takes effect \"despite any other provision of any other Act or law\"\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Commuters and the public** — anyone who'll use the tram or walk through the redesigned square\n- **The Minister** — gets broad powers to shift land between different uses (tram corridor, park, road)\n- **The Registrar-General** — must update land titles and records to reflect these changes\n- **Local government** — any previous status of land as \"community land\" under local government law gets extinguished (wiped out) when it's dedicated for the tram\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nVictoria Square is historically significant park land in Adelaide. Normally, you can't just build transport infrastructure through park lands without jumping through legal hoops. This Act creates a legal shortcut — it lets the Minister slice up the Square, convert land uses, and push the tram through without being blocked by other planning laws, trust arrangements, or local government restrictions. It also tidies up a historical quirk by confirming exactly where the boundaries of an 1883 road through the Square actually are.\n\nThe Act also makes a minor technical amendment to the *Passenger Transport Act 1994*, removing \"Victoria Square (Adelaide)\" from a list and replacing it with just \"Adelaide\" — essentially updating how the tram asset is described in transport legislation."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005","history":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005/history","analysis":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/victoria-square-act-2005/documents"}}