Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 (Victoria)

This Act establishes a centralised framework for the coordination, registration and control of land and related surveys in Victoria, and for cooperation with Commonwealth mapping activities. Mechanically, it does the following.

Creates and mandates a Central Plan Office within the Department of Transport and Planning (s 4), and requires departmental and public authority survey activity to be notified and recorded (s 5, s 7, s 8). The Surveyor-General is the central decision-maker for registration, connexion and classification of plans and for requisitions to link new surveys to existing control (s 6, s 8(1)).
Requires prior notice of intended departmental or public-authority surveys (s 5) and empowers the Surveyor-General to require connexion of proposed surveys with existing local or general surveys, standard traverses or prescribed datum and to require establishment of permanent marks (s 6). Proclaimed survey areas may be declared where standard traverses or sufficient permanent marks exist (s 12). After proclamation, any survey or plan for land wholly or partly within a proclaimed area must show connexion to the appropriate traverse or mark, and is invalid for any statutory purpose if it does not (s 12(3)).
Provides a registration regime: the Surveyor-General enters a Central Plan Register recording registered plans and prescribes classifications and particulars; registered plans may not be destroyed or removed without the Surveyor-General’s written consent (s 8).
Creates access and disclosure duties and entitlements: surveyors, Commonwealth survey officers and authorised persons may inspect registered plans (s 10); departments and authorities must provide copies when requested by the Surveyor‑General (s 11); a Titles Office Survey Officer liaises between the Office of Titles and the Central Plan Office (s 9).

Version No. 074

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

No. 6388 of 1958

Version incorporating amendments as at
6 August 2025

table of provisions

Section Page

1 Short title and commencement 1

2 Repeal and savings 1

3 Definitions 2

Part I—Survey co-ordination generally 6

4 Maintenance of Central Plan Office 6

5 Notice of intention to commence new surveys 6

6 Surveyor-General to require connexion of proposed surveys with existing surveys etc. 7

7 Quarterly returns by departments and public authorities of plans and surveys 8

8 Establishment of Central Plan Register and registration etc. of plans 9

9 Provisions with respect to Office of Titles plans 11

10 Inspection of registered plans 11

11 Provision of copy of registered plan 12

12 Surveys for establishment of standard traverses in certain areas and proclamation of survey areas 12

13 Surveyor-General to advise as to avoidance of duplication of surveys etc. 15

14 Power to Surveyor-General to carry out surveys 16

15 Adoption and maintenance of permanent marks 16

16 Penalty for destruction etc. of permanent marks 19

17 Notice of establishment etc. of permanent mark 19

18 Surveyors to report irregularities in position of permanent marks etc. 20

19 Costs of surveys etc. 20

20 Annual report of Surveyor-General upon administration of Act 21

21 Exemption of plans surveys etc. from operation of this Act 21

21A Land information systems to use AMG co-ordinates 22

21B Certified copies of certain maps and documents to be prima facie evidence 23

22 Regulations 24

Schedule 28

Endnotes 29

1 General information 29

2 Table of Amendments 31

3 Explanatory details 35

Version No. 074

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

No. 6388 of 1958

Version incorporating amendments as at
6 August 2025

An Act to consolidate the Law with respect to the Co-ordination of Surveys in Victoria and the Facilitation of Co-operation with the Commonwealth of Australia in relation to a National Mapping Scheme.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Victoria in this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same as follows (that is to say):

S. 1 amended by Nos 7360 s. 2, 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.1).

1 Short title and commencement

This Act may be cited as the Survey Co‑ordination Act 1958, and shall come into operation on a day to be fixed by proclamation of the Governor in Council published in the Government Gazette.

2 Repeal and savings

(1) The Act mentioned in the Schedule to the extent thereby expressed to be repealed is hereby repealed accordingly.

(2) Except as in this Act expressly or by necessary implication provided—

(a) all persons things and circumstances appointed or created by or under the repealed Act or existing or continuing under that Act immediately before the commencement of this Act shall under and subject to this Act continue to have the same status operation and effect as they respectively would have had if that Act had not been so repealed;

(b) in particular and without affecting the generality of the foregoing paragraph such repeal shall not disturb the continuity of status operation or effect of any proclamation regulation order appointment record survey list notice certificate requirement plan register consent notification index authority requisition report application exemption liability or right made effected issued granted given presented passed fixed accrued incurred or acquired or existing or continuing by or under the repealed Act before the commencement of this Act.

3 Definitions

In this Act unless inconsistent with the context or subject-matter—

S. 3 def. of Australian Geodetic Datum inserted by No. 56/1987 s. 4, amended by No. 7/1998 s. 24(a).

Australian Geodetic Datum means the 1966 adjustment of first order triangulation of Australia or any subsequent adjustment approved by the Surveyor-General based on the position of Johnson Geodetic Station which is determined as being:

Geodetic Latitude 25° 56' 54"⋅5515 South

Geodetic Longitude 133° 12' 30"⋅0771 East

Spheroidal Height 571⋅2 metres;

S. 3 def. of Australian Map Grid inserted by No. 56/1987 s. 4, amended by No. 7/1998 s. 24(b).

Australian Map Grid means the system of rectangular co-ordinates derived from a Transverse Mercator projection of latitudes and longitudes on the Australian Geodetic Datum and defined in the Australian Map Grid Technical Manual Special Publication 10, published by the National Mapping Council of Australia in 1986 or any later definition approved by the Minister and published in the Government Gazette;

S. 3 def. of Common-wealth survey authority amended by No. 6505 s. 2.

Commonwealth survey authority means the Commonwealth Government department or branch of the Defence Forces for the time being engaged upon surveys for the triangulation and mapping of Australia;

Commonwealth survey officer means any person duly authorized in writing by the officer in charge of the Commonwealth survey authority;

department means any Government department under the direct control of a Minister of the Crown;

S. 3 def. of licensed surveyor amended by Nos 9180 s. 2(1), 47/2004 s. 71(Sch. item 5.1(a)).

licensed surveyor means a licensed surveyor under the Surveying Act 2004;

S. 3 def. of municipality repealed by No. 12/1989 s. 4(1)(Sch. 2 item 117.1) (as amended by No. 13/1990 s. 38(2)(y)).

plan includes every plan map aerial photograph or description made or obtained as part of a survey or surveys;

prescribed means prescribed by this Act or by regulations under this Act;

S. 3 def. of proper officer amended by Nos 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1), 108/2004 s. 117(1) (Sch. 3 item 196.1).

proper officer means—

(a) in relation to a department—the department head within the meaning of the Public Administration Act 2004 thereof; and

(b) in relation to a public authority—an officer or employee of such authority nominated by such authority for the purposes of this Act;

S. 3 def. of public authority amended by No. 12/1989 s. 4(1)(Sch. 2 item 117.2).

public authority means any board commission trust or other body corporate or unincorporate (including a municipal council but not including a company incorporated for private profit) established or constituted by or under any Act for any public purpose, whether in respect of the whole of Victoria or of any particular area or areas thereof, and which is authorized or required by such Act to make surveys or the nature of whose functions requires that surveys be made by such authority or that plans of survey be lodged therewith;

registered plan means a plan of which a record has been entered in the Central Plan Register pursuant to this Act;

survey means the act or process of determining the form contour position area height depth or any other similar particulars with respect to any part of the earth's surface whether land or water or of any natural or artificial features on below or above any part of such surface or the length and direction of the bounding lines of any part of such surface or of any such natural or artificial features and includes the making or obtaining of a plan or plans thereof;

surveyor includes—

(a) any licensed surveyor; and

(b) any person who carries out or superintends any survey on behalf of any department or public authority;

S. 3 def. of Surveyor-General amended by Nos 9549 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 224), 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 248), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.2), repealed by No. 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1).

S. 3 def. of Surveyors Board amended by No. 9180 s. 2(1), substituted as def. of Surveyors Registration Board by No. 47/2004 s. 71(Sch. item 5.1(b)).

Surveyors Registration Board means the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria established under the Surveying Act 2004.

Pt 1 (Heading) inserted by No. 7360 s. 3.

Part I—Survey co-ordination generally

No. 4732 s. 3.

S. 4 amended by Nos 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 248), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.4), 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1), 108/2004 s. 117(1) (Sch. 3 item 196.2), 51/2016 s. 33, 25/2025 s. 106(Sch. 1 item 43).

4 Maintenance of Central Plan Office

There shall be maintained in the Department of Transport and Planning a Central Plan Office.

No. 4732 s. 5.

5 Notice of intention to commence new surveys

No survey shall after the commencement of this Act be commenced by or on behalf of any department or public authority unless a notice in the prescribed form of intention to commence such survey has been delivered or forwarded to and received by the Surveyor-General at least five days before such survey is commenced:

Provided that where the urgency of the survey does not allow of five days' notice as aforesaid notice of intention to commence or (as the case may require) of having commenced such survey shall be given as early as is practicable in the circumstances and shall be accompanied by a certificate of the proper officer of the department or authority concerned setting out the reasons for such later notice.

No. 4732 s. 6.

6 Surveyor-General to require connexion of proposed surveys with existing surveys etc.

(1) Without limiting the generality of the provisions of this Act relating to surveys in or contiguous to proclaimed survey areas the Surveyor-General may by writing addressed to the proper officer of any department or public authority require in relation to any survey being carried out or proposed to be carried out by or on behalf of such department or authority—

(a) that such survey shall be connected to an existing local or general survey or based upon a specified datum as to levels or otherwise;

(b) that the surveyor carrying out such survey shall cause permanent marks of a prescribed kind to be established within or adjacent to the area surveyed as the Surveyor-General directs and also that such survey shall be connected with any permanent mark or marks already established;

(c) that the original or a true copy of any plan made or obtained as part of such survey showing the date of the survey and certified by the surveyor who carries out the survey together with a separate sketch plan certified by such surveyor showing the position of any permanent marks established and the connexion (if any) of such survey with any local or general survey or with any permanent mark or marks already established shall be forwarded to the Surveyor-General immediately after the completion of such plans.

(2) The proper officer of such department or public authority shall cause the survey to be carried out and plans prepared and forwarded in accordance with any such requisition of the Surveyor-General and any plans so forwarded shall be lodged in the Central Plan Office.

S. 6(3) amended by Nos 9180 s. 2(1), 47/2004 s. 71(Sch. item 5.2).

(3) Every survey commenced by or on behalf of any department or public authority after the commencement of this Act (whether the subject of a requisition by the Surveyor-General under the foregoing provisions of this section or not) shall, unless required to be carried out in accordance with the Surveying Act 2004 or the regulations under that Act, be carried out in accordance with the standards of measurement and accuracy prescribed by regulations under this Act relating to surveys of the appropriate kind.

No. 4732 s. 7.

7 Quarterly returns by departments and public authorities of plans and surveys

The proper officer of every department or public authority shall in each year within fourteen days after the last day of March June September and December respectively—

(a) cause to be compiled lists setting out the prescribed particulars with respect to—

(i) every plan prepared by or on behalf of such department or authority or lodged therewith during the period of three months ending on such last day; and

(ii) every survey carried out by or on behalf of such authority during such period of which a plan has not been made; and

(b) cause copies of such lists certified by him to be correct and complete to be forwarded to the Surveyor-General.

No. 4732 s. 8.

8 Establishment of Central Plan Register and registration etc. of plans

(1) The Surveyor-General after due enquiry shall cause to be entered in a register in the Central Plan Office which shall be called the Central Plan Register and which shall be in the prescribed form and contain the prescribed classifications and particulars a record of such of the plans—

(a) set out on any list forwarded to him under the foregoing provisions of this Act; or

(b) forwarded to him under the foregoing provisions of this Act—

as appear to him to be of general value for the purpose of this Act and shall cause to be marked or stamped upon every such plan (whether in the Central Plan Office or not) such particulars of its registration and classification as are prescribed.

(2) Where it appears to the Surveyor-General that any registered plan in the possession of any department or public authority is of such general value for the purposes of this Act that it ought to be lodged in the Central Plan Office, then—

(a) in the case of any plan in the possession of a department—with the consent of the Minister of the department concerned; and

(b) in the case of any plan in the possession of a public authority—with the consent of the chairman or president of such authority—

such plan may notwithstanding anything in any Act be lodged and kept in the Central Plan Office.

(3) No registered plan which remains in the possession of any department or public authority shall be destroyed or except in pursuance of this Act removed out of the possession of such department or authority without the consent in writing of the Surveyor-General.

(4) Any alteration to any registered plan which remains in the possession of any department or public authority shall within fourteen days of such alteration be notified in writing by the proper officer of such department or authority to the Surveyor-General and (where a copy of such registered plan has been provided to the Surveyor-General) a plan showing the details of such alteration shall be forwarded to the Surveyor-General with such notification.

(5) For the purpose of the registration and classification of plans pursuant to this Act, every person duly authorized by the Surveyor-General shall at all reasonable times have free access to all plans set out on any list forwarded to the Surveyor-General under the foregoing provisions of this Act which are in the possession of any department or public authority.

(6) The Surveyor-General shall cause to be published in the prescribed manner and form—

(a) in the month of July in every year in which the Minister so directs—an index of all plans recorded in the Central Plan Register as at the thirtieth day of June then last past; and

(b) in the month of July in every year in which an index as aforesaid is not published—a supplementary index of all plans so recorded since the last publication of the index or supplementary index (as the case may be) up to the thirtieth day of June then last past.

(7) A copy of such portion of each such index or supplementary index as is required shall be made available by the Surveyor-General—

(a) without charge, to the Commonwealth survey authority and to every department and public authority; and

(b) upon payment of the prescribed fee, to any person.

No. 4732 s. 9.

S. 9(1) amended by Nos 9549 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 225), 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1), 108/2004 s. 117(1) (Sch. 3 item 196.3).

9 Provisions with respect to Office of Titles plans

(1) There is to be employed under Part 3 of the Public Administration Act 2004 a person in the Office of Titles (hereinafter called the Titles Office Survey Officer) who shall (so far as relates to the carrying out of this Act) be responsible to the Surveyor-General and whose duty it shall be to assist in the co-ordination of lodged plans and other plans in the Office of Titles with registered plans in the Central Plan Office and to provide to the Central Plan Office such information with respect to such lodged plans or other plans as may be necessary or expedient for the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every person duly authorized in writing by the Surveyor-General whether generally or in any particular case and every Commonwealth survey officer shall at all reasonable times be entitled to inspect any lodged plans or other plans in the Office of Titles.

No. 4732 s. 10.

10 Inspection of registered plans

(1) Every surveyor every Commonwealth survey officer and every person duly authorized in writing by the Surveyor-General shall at all reasonable times be entitled to inspect any registered plan in the Central Plan Office, and the Surveyor-General when so required shall give the authority necessary for the inspection by any such surveyor of any registered plan which is not in the Central Plan Office.

(2) Every person duly authorized in writing by the Surveyor-General whether generally or in any particular case and every Commonwealth survey officer shall at all reasonable times be entitled to inspect any registered plan in the possession of any department or public authority.

No. 4732 s. 11.

11 Provision of copy of registered plan

Every department or public authority shall, when so required by the Surveyor-General by writing addressed to the proper officer thereof, provide an accurate copy of any registered plan in its possession—

(a) to the Surveyor-General or to any Commonwealth survey officer; or

(b) to any other department or public authority or to any licensed surveyor—

(i) at such charge as is provided by or under any other Act for the sale of such copy; or

(ii) (where there is no such provision) at a charge which shall not exceed the cost of preparation of such copy plus Ten per centum of such cost.

No. 4732 s. 12.

12 Surveys for establishment of standard traverses in certain areas and proclamation of survey areas

S. 12(1) amended by Nos 56/1987 s. 5(a)–(d), 47/2004 s. 71(Sch. item 5.3).

(1) The Surveyor-General, after consultation with the Surveyors Registration Board and with representatives of such departments as may be concerned and of such public authorities as he thinks proper, may cause to be carried out in an area such survey or surveys as he considers necessary for establishing a standard traverse for such area for the convenient connexion of local or general surveys with the Australian Map Grid, and may cause to be established on or adjacent to the standard traverse so established such permanent marks of any prescribed kind as he considers proper.

(2) Upon a report of the Surveyor-General in writing to the effect—

(a) that the foregoing provisions of this section have been carried out to his satisfaction with respect to any area within Victoria and a standard traverse established for such area; or

(b) that there are in existence in any area within Victoria sufficient permanent marks for the establishment of a local traverse for such area—

the Governor in Council by proclamation published in the Government Gazette may proclaim such area to be a "proclaimed survey area" for the purposes of this Act.

(3) After the publication of any such proclamation every survey for any purpose under any Act of any area which is wholly or partly within or contiguous to the proclaimed survey area to which the proclamation relates whether carried out by or on behalf of any department or public authority or by any surveyor privately employed shall be connected to the standard traverse or local traverse (as the case may be) for such proclaimed survey area either—

(a) directly; or

(b) where the Surveyor-General or some person duly authorized in writing in that behalf by the Surveyor-General so authorizes in writing—indirectly by way of connexion with an existing survey or permanent mark already connected or proposed to be connected to such standard or local traverse—

and no plan of any such survey shall be lodged with or accepted or otherwise used by any department or public authority or be of any validity whatever for any purpose under any Act unless it shows such connexion as aforesaid certified by the surveyor who carries out the survey or is accompanied by a sketch plan showing such connexion so certified.

(4) It shall be the duty of the Surveyor-General when so requested to advise the surveyor of any department or public authority or any licensed surveyor as to how proposed surveys of any such area as aforesaid may be connected with the standard or local traverse and to authorize any such indirect connexion as aforesaid as appears to him to be more convenient or economical than a direct connexion with such traverse, and any survey carried out or plan prepared in accordance with any such written authority of the Surveyor-General shall, where such authority is attached to the plan, be deemed for all purposes a sufficient compliance with the requirements of this section.

S. 12(5) amended by No. 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 219).

(5) A record of the plan or plans of every standard or local traverse established pursuant to this section shall be entered in the Central Plan Register and a copy of every plan of a standard traverse certified by the surveyor who carried out the survey and by the Surveyor-General shall be forwarded by the Surveyor-General to the Commonwealth survey authority immediately upon the completion thereof.

No. 4732 s. 13.

13 Surveyor-General to advise as to avoidance of duplication of surveys etc.

(1) It shall be the duty of the Surveyor-General—

(a) to advise the proper officer of any department or public authority or any licensed surveyor of all registered plans and of all proposed surveys which may render unnecessary or limit the scope of any survey proposed to be carried out by or on behalf of such department or authority or by such licensed surveyor; and

(b) to take all such steps as may be expedient for avoiding unnecessary duplication of surveys, including—

(i) the carrying out for or on behalf of and with the consent of any two or more departments or public authorities of any survey which may be required by such departments or authorities; or

(ii) the arranging for the carrying out with the consent of the departments and public authorities concerned of any such survey by any one such department or authority—

upon such terms as to payment of the costs of such survey as are agreed upon by such departments or authorities and the Surveyor-General or, in default of such agreement, as are fixed by Order of the Governor in Council.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in any other Act or enactment and without affecting the generality of any of the provisions of this Act, every department and public authority is hereby authorized—

(a) to carry out all such surveys and to do all such acts and things as are directed or authorized by or under this Act in all respects as if such surveys acts or things were part of the ordinary functions of such department or authority; and

(b) generally to co-operate with the Surveyor-General and with the Commonwealth survey authority for the co-ordination of surveys in Victoria, the avoidance of unnecessary duplication of surveys and the facilitation of the Commonwealth national mapping scheme.

No. 4732 s. 14.

14 Power to Surveyor-General to carry out surveys

The Surveyor-General may at any time cause to be carried out any survey which he considers necessary or expedient for the purposes of this Act and may establish upon the area surveyed such permanent marks of any prescribed kind as he considers necessary and a record of the plan of every such survey shall be entered in the Central Plan Register.

No. 4732 s. 15.

15 Adoption and maintenance of permanent marks

(1) The Surveyor-General may adopt any particular reference marks or other survey marks or any class of reference marks or other survey marks established by any department or public authority whether before or after the commencement of this Act to be permanent marks for the purposes of this Act by publication of a notice in the Government Gazette specifying the marks or class of marks so adopted.

(2) Any permanent mark required or authorized to be established under this Act whether by the Surveyor-General or by any department or public authority may be so established—

(a) upon any Crown land;

(b) upon any land vested in or under the care and management of any department or public authority or any committee of management or body of trustees for any public purpose;

(c) (after consultation with the engineer or surveyor of the municipality concerned) upon any public street road lane or thoroughfare; or

(d) (with the consent of the owner or occupier thereof) upon any privately owned land—

and every person duly authorized by the Surveyor-General or by the proper officer of the department or public authority concerned shall at all reasonable times have access to such land street road lane or thoroughfare for the purpose of the establishment inspection and maintenance of any permanent mark or the connexion of any survey with any permanent mark.

S. 15(3) amended by No. 31/1994 s. 3(Sch. 1 item 55.1).

(3) All permanent marks established by the Surveyor-General under this Act, whether to mark the standard traverse for any survey area proposed to be proclaimed pursuant to this Act or otherwise, shall be established out of moneys provided by Parliament, and shall be maintained in good order and condition—

(a) if upon any land (other than a public street road lane or thoroughfare) vested in or under the care and management of any department or public authority or of any committee of management or body of trustees for any public purpose—by the department authority committee or body concerned out of such moneys as are available for the care and management of such land;

(b) if upon any public street road lane or thoroughfare the maintenance whereof is charged upon any department or public authority—by such department or authority out of such moneys as are available for the maintenance of such street road lane or thoroughfare; or

S. 15(3)(c) amended by No. 12/1989 s. 4(1)(Sch. 2 item 117.3).

(c) in any other case—by the municipal council within the municipal district of which such marks are established out of the municipal or town fund of the municipality[1].

(4) All permanent marks established by any department or public authority upon a requisition of the Surveyor-General under section six of this Act in relation to any survey carried out by or on behalf of such department or authority shall be established out of such moneys as are available to the department or authority concerned for the purposes of such survey and all permanent marks so established and all permanent marks adopted under the foregoing provisions of this section, shall be maintained in good order and condition out of such moneys as are available for the maintenance of the works or undertakings of the department or authority concerned:

S. 15(4) Proviso amended by Nos 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 220), 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 249), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.5).

Provided that where the Minister is satisfied, upon the application of the proper officer of any department or public authority, that the maintenance of any such mark or marks causes undue expense or inconvenience to such department or authority, he may by writing exempt such department or authority from such maintenance, and thereafter such maintenance shall be carried out by the Surveyor-General or by such other department or public authority or by such committee of management or body of trustees as the Governor in Council by Order directs.

No. 4732 s. 16.

S. 16 amended by Nos 9549 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 226), 10/2004 s. 15(Sch. 1 item 31).

16 Penalty for destruction etc. of permanent marks

Any person who destroys removes mutilates or defaces or directly or indirectly causes any alteration in the position of any permanent mark established or adopted pursuant to this Act shall be liable to a penalty of not less than 0⋅1 penalty unit and not more than 1 penalty unit and upon a conviction for any such offence the court may in addition to any penalty imposed order the payment of a reasonable amount of damages (including any expense incurred in replacing or re‑establishing such mark) to the department public authority committee of management or body of trustees charged under this Act with the maintenance of such permanent mark:

Provided that the removal or alteration of any permanent mark for the purpose of any building reconstruction or other work in accordance with such provisions as to notice supervision re-establishment and report to the Surveyor-General as are prescribed by regulations under this Act shall not be deemed an offence against this section.

No. 4732 s. 17.

17 Notice of establishment etc. of permanent mark

(1) The Surveyor-General shall, where necessary, give notice in writing of the establishment removal or alteration of any permanent mark to the department, public authority, committee of management or body of trustees (as the case requires) charged under this Act with the maintenance of such permanent mark.

(2) The Surveyor-General shall give notice in writing to the Titles Office Survey Officer of the establishment removal or alteration of any permanent mark in any case where he considers that such establishment removal or alteration is likely to affect any lodged plan or other plan in the Office of Titles.

No. 4732 s. 18.

18 Surveyors to report irregularities in position of permanent marks etc.

(1) Any surveyor who discovers any apparent irregularity in the position of any permanent mark or that any such permanent mark has been destroyed or removed or is in disrepair or that any measurements made by him differ from those shown upon any registered plan shall furnish a report in writing thereon to the Surveyor-General.

S. 18(2) amended by No. 74/2000 s. 3(Sch. 1 item 123).

(2) Any officer or employee of any department or public authority (other than a surveyor) who discovers that any permanent mark has been destroyed or removed or is in disrepair shall report the same to the proper officer of such department or authority who shall thereupon notify the same in writing to the Surveyor-General.

No. 4732 s. 19.

19 Costs of surveys etc.

S. 19(1) amended by No. 31/1994 s. 3(Sch. 1 item 55.2).

(1) The costs of any survey authorized to be carried out by the Surveyor-General under this Act shall be met out of moneys provided by Parliament.

(2) The additional costs occasioned to any department or public authority in relation to any survey by reason of the operation of this Act or any requisition of the Surveyor-General thereunder shall be deemed to be part of the costs of such survey and shall be met out of such moneys as are available to such department or public authority for such survey.

No. 4732 s. 20.

S. 20 amended by Nos 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 220), 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 249), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.6).

20 Annual report of Surveyor-General upon administration of Act

The Surveyor-General shall furnish to the Minister before the thirty-first day of July in each year a report upon the progress of surveys within Victoria under the Commonwealth national mapping scheme and upon the co-ordination of surveys under this Act with such surveys under the Commonwealth scheme and generally upon the administration of this Act during the period of twelve months ended on the thirtieth day of June then last past, and a copy of such report shall be laid before each House of Parliament.

No. 4732 s. 21.

21 Exemption of plans surveys etc. from operation of this Act

(1) Upon the application of the proper officer of any department or public authority or any licensed surveyor privately employed, the Surveyor-General may by writing exempt from all or any of the provisions of this Act relating to surveys or plans (either permanently or for any specified period and subject to such conditions as the Surveyor-General thinks fit) any particular survey being carried out or proposed to be carried out by such department authority or surveyor or any particular plan of survey in the possession of or to be prepared by such department authority or surveyor or any class of such surveys or plans if he is of opinion that compliance with such provisions or any such provision (as the case may be) in respect of such survey or plan or class of surveys or plans would entail the disclosure of any information which would adversely affect the public or such department or authority or would cause undue expense or inconvenience to such department or authority or the person by whom such surveyor is employed.

S. 21(2) amended by Nos 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 220), 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 249), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.7).

(2) The Minister of the department concerned or the chairman or president of the public authority concerned or any such licensed surveyor as aforesaid may require that any decision of the Surveyor-General upon any such application as aforesaid be referred by the Minister to the Governor in Council who may by Order exercise all or any of the powers of exemption hereinbefore provided, and the decision of the Governor in Council on any such matters shall be final.

S. 21(3) amended by Nos 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. item 220), 10087 s. 3(1)(Sch. 1 item 249), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 item 63.7).

(3) The Minister of the department concerned or the chairman or president of the public authority concerned may require that any requisition of the Surveyor-General made pursuant to this Act be referred by the Minister to the Governor in Council who may by Order cancel or confirm (either with or without modification) such requisition, and the decision of the Governor in Council shall be final.

S. 21A inserted by No. 56/1987 s. 6.

21A Land information systems to use AMG co-ordinates

Every land information system using land related data prepared by or on behalf of any department or public authority shall use co-ordinates of the Australian Map Grid or co-ordinates that are capable of mathematical conversion to the Australian Map Grid and the co-ordinates shall be to the prescribed standards.

S. 21B inserted by No. 69/2009 s. 54(Sch. Pt 1 item 54).

21B Certified copies of certain maps and documents to be prima facie evidence

(1) All maps, plans, documents or papers certified in accordance with subsection (2) to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in custody as provided in subsection (2)—

(a) are admissible in evidence in any court or before any person acting judicially; and

(b) are prima facie evidence for the same purposes and to the same extent as their originals if they had been produced; and

(c) if certified in accordance with subsection (2) to have been made from an actual survey, are presumed prima facie to have been made by a competent surveyor—

and all courts and persons acting judicially must take judicial notice of certification as provided in subsection (2).

(2) Maps, plans, documents and papers are certified for the purposes of this section if they—

(a) were certified before the commencement of the Public Lands and Works Act 1964 under the seal of the Board of Land and Works to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in the custody of the Board of Land and Works; or

(b) were certified on or after the commencement of the Public Lands and Works Act 1964 and before 1 September 1983 under the hand of the Minister of Lands to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in the custody of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey; or

(c) were certified on or after 1 September 1983 and before 2 November 1983 under the hand of the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in the custody of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey; or

(d) were certified on or after 2 November 1983 and before 21 March 1985 under the hand of the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in the custody of the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands; or

(e) were certified on or after 21 March 1985 under the hand of the Minister for the time being administering this Act or by the Surveyor-General to be copies of original maps, plans, documents or papers in the custody of a Department administered by that Minister.

No. 4732 s. 22.

22 Regulations

(1) The Governor in Council may make regulations for or with respect to—

(a) prescribing the particulars of plans to be set down upon lists forwarded to the Surveyor-General under this Act;

(b) prescribing the form of and the particulars to be contained in notices of intention to commence surveys or of having commenced surveys;

(c) prescribing the form of the Central Plan Register and the classifications and particulars of registered plans to be recorded therein and the particulars of such classifications and registrations to be marked upon registered plans;

S. 22(1)(ca) inserted by No. 47/2004 s. 73.

(ca) prescribing fees for the maintenance of the survey control network to be paid on the lodgment of certified plans of subdivision at the Office of Titles under section 5(3) of the Subdivision Act 1988;

S. 22(1)(d) amended by No. 56/1987 s. 7(1).

(d) prescribing the kinds and the specifications of each kind of permanent marks and survey marks to be established under this Act;

S. 22(1)(e) amended by No. 56/1987 s. 7(1).

(e) regulating the establishment of permanent marks and survey marks under this Act;

(f) prescribing the conditions as to notice supervision re-establishment and report to the Surveyor-General under which permanent marks may be altered or removed for the purpose of any building reconstruction or other work;

S. 22(1)(g) amended by Nos 9180 s. 2(1), 47/2004 s. 71(Sch. item 5.4).

(g) prescribing standards of measurement and of accuracy to be adopted by surveyors for the purposes of any survey not required to be carried out in accordance with the Surveying Act 2004 or the regulations under that Act, and the connexion of any survey to any existing local or general survey or standard traverse or permanent mark pursuant to this Act;

(h) prescribing conventional signs to be used on plans required to be prepared and forwarded to the Surveyor-General under this Act;

(i) empowering the Surveyor-General to call for the production of the field notes of any survey a plan of which is registered or forwarded or set out on any list forwarded to the Surveyor-General under this Act; and

(j) generally, prescribing any matter or thing authorized or required to be prescribed by this Act or necessary or expedient to be prescribed for the purposes of this Act.

S. 22(2) repealed by No. 6886 s. 3, new s. 22(2) inserted by No. 56/1987 s. 7(2).

(2) The regulations may apply, adopt or incorporate, with or without modification, any matter contained in any document including any code, standard, rule, specification, method or system issued, prescribed or published at the time the regulations are made or at any earlier time.

S. 22(3) inserted by No. 56/1987 s. 7(2), repealed by No. 7/1998 s. 22.

Pt 2 (Heading and ss 23–33) inserted by No. 7360 s. 4, amended by Nos 8107 ss 2–7, 8353 s. 19, 9019 s. 2(1)(Sch. items 221, 222), 9425 s. 15, 9549 s. 2(1)(Sch. items 225, 227, 228), 9921 s. 255 (Sch. 12), 10087 s. 3(1) (Sch. 1 item 250), 41/1987 s. 103(Sch. 4 items 63.8, 63.9), 56/1987 ss 8(1), 9, 44/1988 s. 60(5), 12/1989 s. 4(1)(Sch. 2 items 117.5–117.8), 44/1989 s. 41(Sch. 2 item 41), 130/1993 s. 122(Sch. 4 item 13) (as amended by No. 53/1994 s. 23(3)(d)), 49/1994 s. 9(5), 53/1994 s. 34(Sch. 1 item 8), 110/1994 s. 41(Sch. 1 item 9), 56/1995 s. 68(Sch. 1 item 3), 104/1997 s. 55, 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1), repealed by No. 7/1998 s. 20[2].

S. 2.

Schedule

Number of Act	Title of Act	Extent of Repeal
4732	Survey Co-ordination Act 1940	The Whole

Endnotes

1 General information

See www.legislation.vic.gov.au for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.

The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 was assented to on 30 September 1958 and came into operation on 1 April 1959: Government Gazette 18 March 1959 page 893.

INTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)

Style changes

Section 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.

References to ILA s. 39B

Sidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided section or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subsections or subclauses, the original section or clause becomes subsection or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression "(1)" at the beginning of the original section or clause.

Interpretation

As from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:

• Headings

All headings included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Act. Any heading inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Act. This includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; sections; clauses; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms. See section 36(1A)(2A).

• Examples, diagrams or notes

All examples, diagrams or notes included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Act. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Act. See section 36(3A).

• Punctuation

All punctuation included in an Act which is passed on or after 1 January 2001 forms part of that Act. Any punctuation inserted in an Act which was passed before 1 January 2001, by an Act passed on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Act. See section 36(3B).

• Provision numbers

All provision numbers included in an Act form part of that Act, whether inserted in the Act before, on or after 1 January 2001. Provision numbers include section numbers, subsection numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).

• Location of "legislative items"

A "legislative item" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of an Act is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.

• Other material

Any explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of an Act.
See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).

2 Table of Amendments

This publication incorporates amendments made to the Survey Co‑ordination Act 1958 by Acts and subordinate instruments.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Statute Law Revision Act 1959, No. 6505/1959

Assent Date:	5.5.59
Commencement Date:	1.4.59: s. 1(2)
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Subordinate Legislation Act 1962, No. 6886/1962

Assent Date:	8.5.62
Commencement Date:	1.8.62: Government Gazette 4.7.62 p. 2314
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Survey Co-ordination (Place Names) Act 1965, No. 7360/1965

Assent Date:	21.12.65
Commencement Date:	2.5.66: Government Gazette 27.4.66 p. 1325
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Survey Co-ordination (Place Names) Act 1971, No. 8107/1971

Assent Date:	27.4.71
Commencement Date:	14.7.71: Government Gazette 14.7.71 p. 2362
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Railways (Amendment) Act 1972, No. 8353/1972

Assent Date:	13.12.72
Commencement Date:	8.5.73: Government Gazette 2.5.73 p. 946
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Statute Law Revision Act 1977, No. 9019/1977

Assent Date:	17.5.77
Commencement Date:	17.5.77: s. 2(2)
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Surveyors Act 1978, No. 9180/1978

Assent Date:	21.11.78
Commencement Date:	1.12.80: Government Gazette 5.11.80 p. 3901
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Town and Country Planning (Amalgamation) Act 1980, No. 9425/1980

Assent Date:	20.5.80
Commencement Date:	Pts 1, 2 on 30.6.80: Government Gazette 25.6.80 p. 2123; Pts 3–5 on 2.2.81: Government Gazette 30.1.81 p. 311
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Statute Law Revision Act 1981, No. 9549/1981

Assent Date:	19.5.81
Commencement Date:	19.5.81: s. 2(2)
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Transport Act 1983, No. 9921/1983

Assent Date:	23.6.83
Commencement Date:	S. 255(Sch. 12) on 1.7.83: s. 1(2)(c)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Statute Law Revision Act 1984, No. 10087/1984

Assent Date:	22.5.84
Commencement Date:	22.5.84: s. 3(2)
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987, No. 41/1987

Assent Date:	19.5.87
Commencement Date:	S. 103(Sch. 4 items 63.1–63.9) on 1.7.87: Government Gazette 24.6.87 p. 1694
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Rural Finance Act 1988, No. 44/1988

Assent Date:	24.5.88
Commencement Date:	1.7.88: Government Gazette 29.6.88 p. 1896
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Local Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1989, No. 12/1989 (as amended by Act Nos 13/1990 and 43/1993)

Assent Date:	9.5.89
Commencement Date:	S. 4(1)(Sch. 2 items 117.1–117.3, 117.5–117.8) on 1.11.89: Government Gazette 1.11.89 p. 2798; item 117.4 was never proclaimed and was later repealed by No. 43/1993 s. 22
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Transport (Amendment) Act 1989, No. 44/1989

Assent Date:	6.6.89
Commencement Date:	S. 41(Sch. 2 item 41) on 1.7.89: s. 2(1)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Electricity Industry Act 1993, No. 130/1993 (as amended by Act No. 53/1994)

Assent Date:	14.12.93
Commencement Date:	S. 122(Sch. 4 item 13) on 3.1.94: Special Gazette (No. 97) 23.12.93 p. 1
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Financial Management (Consequential Amendments) Act 1994, No. 31/1994

Assent Date:	31.5.94
Commencement Date:	S. 3(Sch. 1 items 55.1, 55.2) on 7.7.94: Government Gazette 7.7.94 p. 1878—see Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Water (Further Amendment) Act 1994, No. 49/1994

Assent Date:	7.6.94
Commencement Date:	Ss 1, 2 on 7.6.94: s. 2(1); s. 8 (except (a)(c)) on 1.7.92: s. 2(2); rest of Act on 1.7.94: s. 2(4)
Current State:	All of Act in operation

Electricity Industry (Amendment) Act 1994, No. 53/1994

Assent Date:	15.6.94
Commencement Date:	Sch. 1 item 8 on 3.10.94: s. 2(4A)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Electricity Industry (Further Amendment) Act 1994, No. 110/1994

Assent Date:	20.12.94
Commencement Date:	Pt 1 (ss 1–3), s. 42 on 20.12.94: s. 2(1); rest of Act (except ss 4(3)(4), 5, 8(c)) on 20.12.94: Special Gazette (No. 100) 20.12.94 p. 1
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Electricity Industry (Amendment) Act 1995, No. 56/1995

Assent Date:	20.6.94
Commencement Date:	S. 68(Sch. item 3) on 20.6.95: Special Gazette (No. 52) 20.6.95 p. 1
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Rail Corporations (Amendment) Act 1997, No. 104/1997

Assent Date:	16.12.97
Commencement Date:	S. 55 on 31.3.98: Special Gazette (No. 23) 31.3.98 p. 1
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Geographic Place Names Act 1998, No. 7/1998

Assent Date:	21.4.98
Commencement Date:	Ss 20, 22, 24 on 31.12.98: s. 2(3)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Public Sector Reform (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 1998, No. 46/1998

Assent Date:	26.5.98
Commencement Date:	S. 7(Sch. 1) on 1.7.98: s. 2(2)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Statute Law Revision Act 2000, No. 74/2000

Assent Date:	21.11.00
Commencement Date:	S. 3(Sch. 1 item 123) on 22.11.00: s. 2(1)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Monetary Units Act 2004, No. 10/2004

Assent Date:	11.5.04
Commencement Date:	S. 15(Sch. 1 item 31) on 1.7.04: s. 2(2)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Surveying Act 2004, No. 47/2004

Assent Date:	16.6.04
Commencement Date:	Ss 71(Sch. item 5), 73 on 1.1.05: s. 2(2)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Public Administration Act 2004, No. 108/2004

Assent Date:	21.12.04
Commencement Date:	S. 117(1)(Sch. 3 item 196) on 5.4.05: Government Gazette 31.3.05 p. 602
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Statute Law Amendment (Evidence Consequential Provisions) Act 2009, No. 69/2009

Assent Date:	24.11.09
Commencement Date:	S. 54(Sch. Pt 1 item 54) on 1.1.10: s. 2(2)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Crown Land Legislation Amendment Act 2016, No. 51/2016

Assent Date:	18.10.16
Commencement Date:	S. 33 on 19.10.16: s. 2
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Roads and Ports Legislation Amendment (Road Safety and Other Matters) Act 2025, No. 25/2025

Assent Date:	5.8.25
Commencement Date:	S. 106(Sch. 1 item 43) on 6.8.25: s. 2(1)
Current State:	This information relates only to the provision/s amending the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

3 Explanatory details

S. 15(3)(c): Section 4(1)(Schedule 2 item 117.4) of the Local Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1989, No. 12/1989 purported to amend section 15(3)(c) but was never proclaimed and was repealed by section 22 of No. 43/1993. ↑
Pt 2 (repealed): Section 21 of the Geographic Place Names Act 1998, No. 7/1998 reads as follows:

21 Applications before the old Committee

(1) If, immediately before the commencement of Part 3 of this Act, the Place Names Committee established under section 24 of the Survey Co‑ordination Act 1958 has commenced but not yet completed an enquiry, examination or investigation into the naming of a place, that Committee may complete that enquiry, examination or investigation as if this Act had not been enacted and may make a recommendation to the Registrar.

(2) A recommendation made to the Registrar under subsection (1) is deemed to be the recommendation of a Committee under
this Act. ↑

1 Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Version No. 074

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

No. 6388 of 1958

Version incorporating amendments as at
6 August 2025

table of provisions

Section Page

1 Short title and commencement 1

2 Repeal and savings 1

3 Definitions 2

Part I—Survey co-ordination generally 6

4 Maintenance of Central Plan Office 6

5 Notice of intention to commence new surveys 6

6 Surveyor-General to require connexion of proposed surveys with existing surveys etc. 7

7 Quarterly returns by departments and public authorities of plans and surveys 8

8 Establishment of Central Plan Register and registration etc. of plans 9

9 Provisions with respect to Office of Titles plans 11

10 Inspection of registered plans 11

11 Provision of copy of registered plan 12

12 Surveys for establishment of standard traverses in certain areas and proclamation of survey areas 12

13 Surveyor-General to advise as to avoidance of duplication of surveys etc. 15

14 Power to Surveyor-General to carry out surveys 16

15 Adoption and maintenance of permanent marks 16

16 Penalty for destruction etc. of permanent marks 19

17 Notice of establishment etc. of permanent mark 19

18 Surveyors to report irregularities in position of permanent marks etc. 20

19 Costs of surveys etc. 20

20 Annual report of Surveyor-General upon administration of Act 21

21 Exemption of plans surveys etc. from operation of this Act 21

21A Land information systems to use AMG co-ordinates 22

21B Certified copies of certain maps and documents to be prima facie evidence 23

22 Regulations 24

Schedule 28

Endnotes 29

1 General information 29

2 Table of Amendments 31

3 Explanatory details 35

Version No. 074

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

No. 6388 of 1958

Version incorporating amendments as at 6 August 2025

Core, repeatedly invoked concepts in the Act are "plan", "survey", "registered plan", "permanent mark", "standard traverse", "proclaimed survey area", "Surveyor-General", "Central Plan Office/Central Plan Register", and Australian Map Grid coordinates. The Act defines these terms and builds duties, entitlements and controls around them.

Plan and survey. The Act defines "plan" broadly to include every plan, map, aerial photograph or description made as part of a survey and defines "survey" expansively as the process of determining form, contour, position, area, height, depth or similar particulars of the earth's surface or features, including making plans (s 3). This broad definition brings many activities and outputs within the Act’s scope.
Central Plan Office / Central Plan Register. S 4 establishes the Central Plan Office; s 8 requires the Surveyor‑General to register plans considered of "general value" in a Central Plan Register in the prescribed form, including classification and prescribed particulars (s 8(1)). The Register is a statutory instrument for information centralisation and access.
Surveyor-General powers and requisitions. S 6 allows the Surveyor‑General to direct proper officers of departments and public authorities that surveys be linked to existing local or general surveys, based on specified datums or to establish permanent marks. S 6(2) makes the proper officer responsible for compliance with such requisitions and requires plans so forwarded to be lodged in the Central Plan Office. S 14 separately empowers the Surveyor‑General to carry out surveys and to establish permanent marks where he considers it necessary.
Standard traverses and proclaimed survey areas. S 12 allows the Surveyor‑General, after consultation, to establish standard traverses in an area for convenient connexion to the Australian Map Grid and to establish permanent marks. Upon written report that standard traverses are in place, the Governor in Council may proclaim the area a "proclaimed survey area" (s 12(2)). Following proclamation, statutory validity of surveys and plans depends on showing connexion to the traverse (s 12(3)).
Permanent marks. S 15 allows adoption of existing marks as "permanent marks" by Government Gazette notice and provides the legal rules for where marks may be established (Crown land, land under departmental care, public streets after municipal consultation, and private land with owner consent). S 15(3) and s 15(4) allocate maintenance costs and permit ministerial exemption from maintenance obligations in certain hardship cases.
Coordination to avoid duplication. S 13 imposes a duty on the Surveyor‑General to advise departments, authorities and licensed surveyors about registered plans and proposed surveys that might render others unnecessary, and to take steps to avoid duplication, including by arranging joint surveys and fixing apportionment of costs or referring disputes to the Governor in Council (s 13(1)(b)).
Standards, forms and fees to be prescribed. S 6(3) mandates that departmental or public authority surveys not required by the Surveying Act 2004 must meet standards of measurement and accuracy prescribed by regulation under this Act. S 22 lists regulation-making heads including standards, forms, permanent mark specifications, conditions for disturbing marks, and fees (s 22(1)(g), (d), (f), (ca)).
Use of AMG coordinates and evidentiary certification. S 21A requires land information systems using departmental or authority-prepared land-related data to use AMG coordinates or mathematically convertible coordinates to prescribed standards. S 21B makes certified copies of certain maps and documents prima facie evidence in proceedings, with precise conditions for certification tied to various historic custodians and to the Surveyor-General or Minister (s 21B(1)-(2)).

These concepts structure a centralised, administratively supervised surveying regime that integrates data capture, standardisation, and statutory control over survey validation and evidentiary weight.

The Act imposes duties and confers powers on a range of public actors and touches several categories of private actors.

Surveyor-General and Central Plan Office (decision-makers). The Surveyor-General is the principal official under the Act: receiving notices of intention to survey (s 5), issuing requisitions to require connexion and permanent marks (s 6), registering and classifying plans (s 8), adopting marks (s 15), proclaiming survey areas via report to the Governor in Council (s 12(2)), and publishing indexes of registered plans (s 8(6)). The Central Plan Office, maintained in the Department of Transport and Planning, implements the registration/archive functions (s 4, s 8).
Departments and public authorities (duty-holders and data producers). "Department" means a government department under a Minister (s 3), and "public authority" includes boards, commissions, trusts or other bodies corporate or unincorporate established by or under any Act for public purposes (s 3). Their proper officers must: give notices before surveys (s 5), comply with Surveyor‑General requisitions (s 6(2)), forward plans to the Central Plan Office, provide quarterly lists and certified copies (s 7, s 8, s 11), maintain permanent marks placed on land under their care (s 15(3)), and meet additional costs caused by operation of the Act or Surveyor‑General requisitions from their available funds (s 19(2)). Ministers and chairpersons may require Surveyor‑General decisions to be referred to the Governor in Council for review (s 21(2)-(3)).
Licensed surveyors and private surveyors (obliged to conform to connexion and registration requirements). "Licensed surveyor" is defined by reference to the Surveying Act 2004 (s 3). Private licensed surveyors are affected where a survey is on land within proclaimed survey areas (s 12(3) requires plans to show connexion certified by the surveyor), by inspection rights for registered plans (s 10), and by the obligation to furnish certified plans and sketches of permanent marks to the Surveyor‑General when directed (s 6(1)(c)). Licensed surveyors may apply for exemptions under s 21.
Local government (maintenance and access). Municipal councils have maintenance responsibilities for permanent marks established in their municipal district unless other provision applies (s 15(3)(c)). Where a permanent mark is to be established on a public street or thoroughfare, the Surveyor‑General must consult the municipality’s engineer or surveyor (s 15(2)(c) and s 15(3)(b)).
Private landowners and occupiers (access and consent). Permanent marks may be established on private land with owner or occupier consent (s 15(2)(d)), and persons authorised by the Surveyor‑General have access to land for establishment, inspection and maintenance of permanent marks (s 15(2)-(3)). Landowners therefore face potential access requests for survey control purposes and may be asked to consent to marks.
Commonwealth survey authorities and officers (co‑operation and access). The Act recognises the Commonwealth survey authority and Commonwealth survey officers and gives them inspection rights (s 10). The Surveyor‑General must forward certified standard traverse plans to the Commonwealth survey authority upon completion (s 12(5)).
Users of land information systems and data processors. S 21A requires that land information systems that use land-related data prepared by or on behalf of a department or public authority use AMG coordinates or coordinates mathematically convertible to AMG to prescribed standards. Entities that maintain or rely on departmental land datasets therefore must ensure coordinate conformity.
Courts and persons acting judicially (evidentiary consequences). S 21B alters evidentiary rules by making certified copies of certain maps and documents admissible and prima facie evidence and by mandating judicial notice of certification in the specified form.

Who pays: the Act delineates funding responsibilities. Surveys carried out by the Surveyor‑General are paid from Parliamentary funds (s 19(1)). Costs caused to departments by operation of the Act or by Surveyor‑General requisition are to be met from the department’s available funds for the survey (s 19(2)). Permanent marks are to be maintained by the body responsible for the land (department, public authority, municipal council or in other cases by the department or Surveyor‑General where exemption is given) (s 15(3)-(4)).

Who decides: the Surveyor‑General has broad administrative discretion over requisitions, registration, adoption of marks and standards (s 6, s 8, s 15, s 22). The Governor in Council has final authority over proclamation of survey areas (s 12(2)), resolution of specified disputes about requisitions and exemptions (s 21(2)-(3)) and may fix cost apportionment in default of agreement (s 13(1)(b)).

This section summarises specific statutory duties, obligations and rights created by the Act for principal actors.

Surveyor-General (key duties and powers)

Receive and process notices of intention to commence surveys, and accept later notices where urgency prevents five days’ notice, subject to a certificate explaining the reasons (s 5).
Issue written requisitions to require connexion with existing surveys, use of specified datums, establishment of permanent marks, and submission of plans and sketch plans certified by the surveyor (s 6(1)(a)-(c); s 6(2)).
Enter records in the Central Plan Register, mark plans with prescribed registration particulars, and publish indices of registered plans annually in the form prescribed (s 8(1), s 8(6)).
Adopt reference marks established by departments or public authorities as permanent marks by Gazette notice (s 15(1)).
Cause standard traverses and permanent marks to be established and prepare reports that can lead to Governor in Council proclamation of survey areas (s 12(1), s 12(2), s 12(5)).
Carry out surveys and establish permanent marks at the Surveyor‑General’s discretion (s 14).
Grant exemptions, with conditions, from any provisions of the Act relating to surveys or plans upon application (s 21(1)).

Departments and public authorities (duties)

Submit prescribed notice of intention to commence surveys to the Surveyor‑General at least five days prior to commencement, or as early as practicable if urgency precludes five days, accompanied by a certificate of reasons where later notice is given (s 5).
Comply with written requisitions of the Surveyor‑General: carry out surveys and prepare and forward plans as requisitioned; lodge plans in the Central Plan Office as required (s 6(2)).
Compile and forward quarterly lists setting out prescribed particulars of plans and surveys to the Surveyor‑General within 14 days after the end of each quarter (s 7).
Not destroy or remove registered plans in their possession without the Surveyor‑General’s written consent; notify the Surveyor‑General of alterations to registered plans within 14 days and (where a copy was provided) forward a plan showing details of alteration (s 8(3)-(4)).
Provide accurate copies of any registered plan in their possession when required by the Surveyor‑General and to specified recipients, charging either the statutory charge under another Act or cost plus 10 per cent where no other provision exists (s 11).

Licensed surveyors (duties and rights)

To show connexion to the standard traverse or local traverse in proclaimed survey areas and certify such connexion on the plan; otherwise the plan is invalid for any purpose under any Act (s 12(3)).
Inspect registered plans at reasonable times (s 10(1)).
Furnish reports to the Surveyor‑General if they discover irregularities in permanent marks or differences in measurements from registered plans (s 18(1)).
Apply for exemptions under s 21 if compliance would disclose sensitive information or cause undue expense.

Municipal councils and private landowners

Municipal councils must maintain permanent marks established within their municipal district out of municipal funds unless responsibility is otherwise allocated (s 15(3)(c)).
Private land may be used for marks only with the consent of the owner or occupier (s 15(2)(d)), but authorised persons have access for establishment, inspection and maintenance of marks (s 15(2), s 15(3)).

Commonwealth survey authority

Entitled to free copies of indices of the Central Plan Register (s 8(7)(a)) and to inspection rights (s 10).

General obligations and regulatory standards

Surveys by departments/public authorities not required to be carried out under the Surveying Act 2004 must comply with measurement and accuracy standards prescribed by regulation under this Act (s 6(3)).
Land information systems using departmental or authority-prepared land-related data must use AMG coordinates or coordinates mathematically convertible to AMG to prescribed standards (s 21A).
Permanent marks may be disturbed for building or reconstruction only under prescribed conditions as to notice, supervision, re-establishment and report to the Surveyor-General (s 16 proviso; s 22(1)(f)).

Rights to access and evidentiary rights

Surveyors, Commonwealth survey officers and authorised persons may inspect registered plans (s 10) and access lodged plans in the Titles Office (s 9(2)).
Certified copies of maps and documents meeting s 21B conditions are prima facie evidence and courts must take judicial notice of certification as provided (s 21B(1)).

The Act provides a limited criminal penalty, civil damages remedy and administrative enforcement mechanisms focused on protection of permanent marks and compliance with administrative requisitions and registration requirements.

Criminal penalty for interference with permanent marks

Any person who destroys, removes, mutilates or defaces, or directly or indirectly causes any alteration in the position of, a permanent mark established or adopted under the Act is liable to a penalty "not less than 0.1 penalty unit and not more than 1 penalty unit" (s 16). The Act authorises the court, upon conviction, to order payment of reasonable damages including expenses incurred in replacing or re-establishing the mark to the entity charged with maintaining the mark (s 16).
The Act contains a specific defence/exception: removal or alteration of a permanent mark for building, reconstruction or other work undertaken in accordance with conditions as to notice, supervision, re-establishment and report prescribed by regulations is not an offence (s 16, proviso; s 22(1)(f) empowers the regulations).

Administrative enforcement and compliance powers

The Surveyor‑General has multiple administrative levers: he may require connexion to specified datums and establishment of permanent marks by written requisition (s 6(1)), register plans (s 8), require production of field notes under regulation (s 22(1)(i)), and require departments and public authorities to provide copies or forward plans (s 11, s 8(2)-(4)).
Failure to comply with requisitions is enforceable by the Surveyor‑General resorting to administrative measures; the Act provides a route for departments or public authorities to have requisitions referred to the Governor in Council for confirmation, cancellation or modification (s 21(3)).

Civil liability and damages

On conviction for destroying or altering a permanent mark, the court may order the payment of reasonable damages to the body responsible for maintenance (s 16). That provides a civil remedy tied to a criminal prosecution.

Dispute resolution and finality

The Act gives ministers, chairpersons or private surveyors the right to require that a Surveyor‑General decision on exemption be referred to the Governor in Council and that decision is final (s 21(2)). The Governor in Council also has final authority on cancelling or confirming requisitions referred by ministers (s 21(3)).

Regulatory and fee enforcement

The Governor in Council may make regulations under s 22 that prescribe standards, forms, classifications, permanent mark specifications and fees. Those regulations can be given statutory effect and, because they may adopt external documents (s 22(2)), enforcement may involve compliance with standards set externally but adopted into regulation.

Practical enforcement consequences

The most operational enforcement lever with immediate consequences for private surveys is s 12(3): plans that do not show required connexion in proclaimed survey areas "shall be of no validity whatever for any purpose under any Act". That creates a risk of statutory invalidity of instruments or plans lodged or used in statutory processes if survey connexion requirements are not met, which is an enforcement mechanism by invalidation rather than fine.

Scope of criminal enforcement

The statutory penalty for damaging permanent marks is numerically small expressed in penalty units (s 16). The Act does not set a broad array of criminal offences beyond interference with permanent marks; most other compliance failures are handled administratively (requisitions, registration, refusal to accept plans lacking connexion).

The Act expressly interacts with, and incorporates definitions and references to, several other statutes and regimes. The Act both defers to and supplements other legislative frameworks.

Surveying Act 2004

"Licensed surveyor" and the Surveyors Registration Board definitions now refer to the Surveying Act 2004 (s 3). Section 6(3) makes clear that surveys required to be carried out in accordance with the Surveying Act 2004 (or its regulations) are outside the scope of the Act’s standards requirement; conversely, where the Surveying Act 2004 does not apply, this Act prescribes standards of measurement and accuracy by regulation (s 6(3), s 22(1)(g)). This creates a complementary relationship: the Surveying Act provides a profession regulation overlay while this Act provides coordination and central control for government-related surveys and inter-authority consistency.

Public Administration Act 2004

The Titles Office Survey Officer at the Office of Titles is employed under Part 3 of the Public Administration Act 2004 and is responsible to the Surveyor‑General in relation to this Act (s 9(1)). That ties personnel and administrative arrangements to the broader public sector employment framework.

Subdivision Act 1988

S 22(1)(ca) empowers regulations prescribing fees "for the maintenance of the survey control network to be paid on the lodgment of certified plans of subdivision at the Office of Titles under section 5(3) of the Subdivision Act 1988". This creates a cross-charge mechanism that ties subdivision lodgement to survey control network funding via regulation.

Public Lands and Works Act 1964 and historical ministries

S 21B references prior custodianship and certification powers under the Public Lands and Works Act 1964, and a sequence of ministerial custodians for certification of maps and plans. This section creates a tailored evidentiary regime for historical documents certified under the specified arrangements.

Governor in Council and executive decision-making

The Act vests several final decisions in the Governor in Council, including proclamation of survey areas upon the Surveyor‑General’s report (s 12(2)), and resolution of requests by Ministers or chairs to refer Surveyor‑General decisions on exemptions or requisitions (s 21(2)-(3)). This situates key strategic and dispute-resolution powers in executive decisions rather than administrative appeal mechanisms.

Regulations and adoption of external standards

S 22(2) permits regulations to apply, adopt or incorporate with or without modification any matter contained in any external document, code, standard or specification. That allows the Act’s regulatory instruments to import technical standards (for example AMG technical manuals or surveying standards) by reference, creating dependencies on external technical material once incorporated into regulation.

Commonwealth national mapping scheme

The Act’s preamble expressly references facilitation of cooperation with the Commonwealth national mapping scheme. Operationally, s 12(5) requires forwarding of certified plans of standard traverses to the Commonwealth survey authority on completion, and the Commonwealth survey authority is entitled to free copies of indices (s 8(7)(a)). The Act therefore establishes an interface for state-Commonwealth mapping coordination.

Local government legislation and municipal functions

Municipal councils are assigned maintenance responsibility for permanent marks in their districts where applicable (s 15(3)(c)). The Local Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1989 is listed in the Table of Amendments and has previously amended parts of the Act; the Act’s operation will therefore interact with municipal funding and maintenance obligations under local government legislation.

Evidentiary law

S 21B modifies evidence practice by making certified copies of historic maps and plans prima facie evidence and requiring courts and persons acting judicially to take judicial notice of such certifications. This affects litigated disputes where historical plans are material.

Amendment and statute law revision instruments

The Table of Amendments shows that various Statute Law Revision Acts and other amending Acts have altered definitions and structure over time (see Amendment History below). Practically, interpretation must take into account those textual changes and cross-references.

In sum, the Act is designed to operate alongside profession-specific surveying regulation (Surveying Act 2004), land subdivision processes (Subdivision Act 1988), public sector employment (Public Administration Act 2004), and Commonwealth mapping arrangements, while delegating technical detail to regulations that may adopt external technical documents.

The Act contains its own Schedule showing repeal of the earlier Survey Co-ordination Act 1940 and the Endnotes and Table of Amendments in the version text list the chronological legislative instruments that have amended the 1958 Act. The principal points from the amendment record in the source are the following.

Original enactment and commencement. The Act was assented to on 30 September 1958 and commenced 1 April 1959 (Endnotes 1). It consolidated law governing coordination of surveys in Victoria and cooperation with Commonwealth mapping.
Early statute law revision and consequential amendments. The Statute Law Revision Act 1959 (No. 6505/1959) and subsequent Statute Law Revision Acts (1977 No. 9019/1977, 1981 No. 9549/1981, 1984 No. 10087/1984) appear in the amendment table; these Acts effected technical and stylistic adjustments and maintained currency of the 1958 text.
Insertions relating to geodetic datum and AMG. Amendments in 1987 (No. 56/1987) inserted definitions of Australian Geodetic Datum and Australian Map Grid and added s 21A (land information systems to use AMG coordinates) and empowered regulations to adopt external documents (s 22(2)). These changes integrated Victoria’s statutory framework with national geodetic and mapping standards.
Interaction with professional and administrative modernisation. The Surveyors Act 1978 (No. 9180/1978) and later Surveying Act 2004 (No. 47/2004) updated the statutory recognition and definitions of licensed surveyors and the registration board; the Surveying Act 2004 is explicitly referenced in the present Act’s definition of "licensed surveyor" and in the standards regime (s 3; s 6(3); s 22(1)(g)). The Public Administration Act 2004 amendment (No. 108/2004) led to the Titles Office Survey Officer being placed under Part 3 of that Act (s 9(1)).
Evidence-related amendment. The Statute Law Amendment (Evidence Consequential Provisions) Act 2009 (No. 69/2009) inserted s 21B which makes certified copies of certain maps and documents prima facie evidence (s 21B came into operation 1 January 2010 per the Table).
Charges and fee rules. S 22(1)(ca) , prescribing fees for maintenance of the survey control network to be paid on lodgment of certified plans of subdivision under the Subdivision Act 1988 , was inserted via amendment associated with the Surveying Act 2004 (No. 47/2004 s 73). The Roads and Ports Legislation Amendment (Road Safety and Other Matters) Act 2025 (No. 25/2025) includes a commencement entry in the Table of Amendments showing the s 106 amendment came into operation 6 August 2025.
Ongoing reassignments of administrative responsibility. Amendments to reflect changes in departmental and ministerial arrangements appear in the table, including transfers of functions across Ministers and Department structures (Transport Act 1983, Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987, Transport Acts 1989, Public Sector reforms).
Repeals and repealed provisions. Part 2 (ss 23-33) was inserted and later repealed by various amendments; the Table of Amendments notes Part 2 was repealed by No. 7/1998 s 20. The schedule also records repeal of the earlier Survey Co-ordination Act 1940 at commencement.
Monetary units conversion. The Monetary Units Act 2004 (No. 10/2004) is noted in the Table; the Act’s current penalty amounts remain expressed in penalty units (s 16), and those units are governed by the separate Monetary Units Act and any subsequent changes to the value of a penalty unit.

The amendment record demonstrates steady technical modernisation: insertion of national datum and AMG standards in the late 1980s, alignment with surveying professional regulation in the 2000s, introduction of an evidentiary provision in 2009, and later administrative/funding tweaks in the 2010s and 2020s. For a practitioner, two practical takeaways from the amendment history are that definitions (for example, "licensed surveyor") and administrative allocation (for example, the Central Plan Office placement) have been updated, and that s 21A and s 21B are relatively recent insertions that introduce important functional requirements for data systems and evidentiary treatment.

The Act text supplied does not catalogue any judicial decisions or litigated interpretations. The Endnotes and Table of Amendments enumerate statutory amendments and administrative history but do not list case law. The Act itself does not name cases or cite judicial authorities.

Consequently, this source provides no direct litigation history to summarise. For legal practitioners seeking precedential guidance on statutory construction, compliance disputes (for example, the statutory invalidity of plans under s 12(3) in a proclaimed survey area), or enforcement of maintenance obligations or damages under s 16, a targeted search of Victoria’s court databases and legal reporting services is required. Relevant search targets would include:

Judicial decisions interpreting s 12(3) and the statutory invalidity of plans lacking connexion to a standard traverse or permanent mark in a proclaimed survey area.
Cases concerning s 16 prosecutions for destruction of permanent marks and orders for damages on conviction.
Decisions addressing procedural fairness or review of Surveyor‑General requisitions or Governor in Council decisions under s 21 where Ministers referred matters for executive review.
Litigation where s 21B certified copies were relied upon as prima facie evidence, to see how courts treated that evidentiary presumption.

Because the Act itself does not provide cases, readers should treat the absence of litigation in the source as silence, not as evidence of litigation-free application. Practitioners should review reported and unreported appeals and tribunal decisions for precedents relating to how Surveyor‑General discretion has been applied and reviewed.

The Act contains a number of provisions and structural features that create implementation risks, compliance traps and operational constraints that practitioners and project managers should note.

Statutory invalidity, not just penalty. In proclaimed survey areas, s 12(3) provides that any plan for land wholly or partly within such an area "shall be of no validity whatever for any purpose under any Act" unless it shows connexion to the standard or local traverse certified by the surveyor. This is not a regulatory fine but a statutory nullity that can defeat statutory processes that rely on valid plans (for example, title dealings, subdivision approvals, statutory notices). Practitioners must verify whether an area is proclaimed and ensure certified connexion is shown. The wording is absolute: no plan shall be "of any validity whatever" if the statutory requirement is unmet.
Five‑day notice is minimum, urgency exception requires certification. Departments and public authorities must give at least five days’ notice to the Surveyor‑General before commencing surveys (s 5). Where urgency prevents five days, later notice must be given "as early as is practicable" and must be accompanied by a certificate from the proper officer stating reasons. Failure to satisfy the procedural form may lead to administrative recourse or requisitions. Private licensed surveyors are not explicitly placed under the five-day notice in s 5 (which applies to departments and public authorities), but other requirements (registration, connexion) still apply.
Administrative discretion and finality. The Surveyor‑General has considerable discretion to require connexion, adopt marks and classify plans (s 6, s 8, s 15). Ministerial or authority dissatisfaction can be referred to the Governor in Council whose decision is final (s 21(2)-(3)). That funnels disputes to executive decision-making rather than independent merits review, which can be a strategic constraint where legal challenge is contemplated.
Multiple overlapping standards. S 6(3) requires surveys to meet standards prescribed by regulation unless conducted under the Surveying Act 2004 or its regulations. Where both the Surveying Act and this Act apply, determining the correct technical standard set may require cross-referencing two instruments and any regulations that adopt external technical documents under s 22(2). Practitioners should check which set of regulations governs a particular survey and whether the Central Plan Office or Titles Office will accept the plan.
Access rights to private land; consent vs authority. Permanent marks may be placed on private land with owner or occupier consent (s 15(2)(d)), yet authorised persons have "access… at all reasonable times" for establishment, inspection and maintenance (s 15(2)). Consent mechanisms and notice protocols are therefore operationally important. The Act authorises access where necessary but does not provide a detailed compensation or trespass regime; practical arrangements should be documented.
Maintenance funding fragmentation. S 15 assigns maintenance to different actors depending on land ownership and type (departments, public authorities, municipal councils, or the department/Surveyor‑General where exempt). That creates the possibility of cost-shifting disputes, especially where multiple public bodies have overlapping duties. S 13 provides mechanisms to arrange joint surveys and cost apportionment, but where agreement fails, the Governor in Council may fix payments.
Low numeric penalties but exposure to damages. The express penal range for interference with permanent marks is modest in numerical terms (0.1 to 1 penalty unit) (s 16). However, the court may order payment of reasonable damages to replace or re-establish marks, which could be materially larger than the fine. Also, the reputational and statutory consequences of invalid plans or missing connexion can impose higher indirect costs.
Regulatory incorporation of external standards. S 22(2) allows regulations to adopt external documents. Regulators can therefore import technical manuals or standards by reference without full parliamentary scrutiny of every technical detail. Practitioners must ensure they have access to and comply with any such incorporated standards; failure to do so can render a plan non-compliant.
Titles Office interaction and evidentiary assumptions. The Titles Office Survey Officer liaises with the Central Plan Office (s 9) and s 21B grants prima facie evidentiary status to certain certified copies. However, s 21B sets precise conditions for certification tied to historical custodians; practitioners relying on certified copies should ensure the conditions in s 21B(2) are met, otherwise the evidentiary presumption will not apply.
Quarterly reporting and administrative burden. Proper officers of departments and public authorities must compile and forward quarterly lists within 14 days after each quarter end (s 7). This imposes a recurring compliance process that requires internal coordination and record-keeping; failure to comply may degrade the Central Plan Register and can attract administrative intervention.

This section sets out practical, source-grounded steps departments, public authorities, licensed surveyors and other affected parties should follow to comply with the Act. Citations are to the Act provisions.

Pre-survey procedure and notices (s 5)

If the survey is being undertaken by or on behalf of a department or public authority, deliver the prescribed notice of intention to commence the survey to the Surveyor‑General at least five days before work begins (s 5). Use the prescribed form and include the particulars required by regulation.
If urgency prevents five days’ notice, give notice as early as practicable and include a certificate from the proper officer setting out reasons for the late notice (s 5 proviso). Keep documentation of the urgency justification.

Requisition compliance and plan submissions (s 6, s 8, s 11)

If you receive a written requisition under s 6 from the Surveyor‑General requiring connexion to local or general surveys or establishment of permanent marks, ensure the surveyor designated complies and the proper officer sees that plans and certified sketches showing positions of permanent marks and connexions are forwarded immediately after completion (s 6(1)(b)-(c); s 6(2)).
Where a plan is to be lodged in a department’s or authority’s possession but is of general value for the Central Plan Register, obtain the Surveyor‑General’s consent before destroying or removing the registered plan (s 8(2)-(3)). If you alter a registered plan, notify the Surveyor‑General in writing within 14 days and, where a copy has been provided, forward a plan showing the details of alteration (s 8(4)).
When required by the Surveyor‑General under s 11, provide accurate copies of any registered plan in your possession to the Surveyor‑General, Commonwealth survey officer, another department or public authority, or a licensed surveyor at statutory charges or cost plus 10 per cent where no statutory charge exists (s 11).

Standards, accreditation and AMG coordinates (s 6(3), s 21A)

Ensure surveys meet standards of measurement and accuracy prescribed by regulations under this Act where the Surveying Act 2004 does not apply (s 6(3), s 22(1)(g)). Locate and comply with the latest regulations and any external standards adopted by regulation under s 22(2).
Where land-related data prepared by or on behalf of a department or public authority is used in a land information system, confirm the coordinate system is AMG or mathematically convertible to AMG and that coordinates conform to the prescribed standards (s 21A). Update GIS workflows and metadata to ensure AMG conformity.

Proclaimed survey areas and connexion requirements (s 12)

Check whether the survey area is a proclaimed survey area. If it is, ensure the survey is connected directly or indirectly to the standard or local traverse and that the connexion is shown and certified on the plan by the surveyor. Without certification, the plan will be invalid for all statutory purposes (s 12(3)).
If in doubt about how to connect to the standard traverse, request advice from the Surveyor‑General under s 12(4). If an indirect connexion is authorised in writing by the Surveyor‑General and attached to the plan, it will suffice (s 12(4)).

Permanent marks: establishment, maintenance and disturbance (s 15, s 16, s 22(1)(f))

Where required by the Surveyor‑General to establish permanent marks, obtain necessary consents (municipal consultation for public streets per s 15(2)(c); owner/occupier consent for private land per s 15(2)(d)) and ensure authorised personnel have access for establishment and maintenance (s 15(2)-(3)).
Document maintenance arrangements and budgets: if the marks are on Crown or departmental land, the responsible department or authority must maintain them from available funds; municipal councils must maintain marks on public streets or other municipal land (s 15(3)(a)-(c)). Where maintenance causes undue expense, the Minister may exempt the department or authority and the Governor in Council may redirect maintenance responsibility (s 15(4) proviso).
If marks must be removed or altered for building/reconstruction, follow prescribed conditions for notice, supervision, re-establishment and report to the Surveyor‑General to avoid creating a s 16 offence (s 16 proviso; s 22(1)(f)).

Reporting requirements (s 7, s 18)

Proper officers must compile and forward quarterly lists of prescribed particulars with respect to every plan prepared or lodged and every survey carried out during the quarter within 14 days after the last day of March, June, September and December (s 7). Establish internal quarterly workflows to collect plan metadata and survey records.
Surveyors discovering irregularities in the position of permanent marks, destruction, removal or disrepair, or measurement discrepancies must furnish written reports to the Surveyor‑General (s 18(1)). Departmental officers (non-surveyors) must notify their proper officer who must notify the Surveyor‑General in writing (s 18(2)).

Recordkeeping and access (s 8, s 10, s 9)

Maintain accurate field notes, plans and certifications and be prepared to produce them when the Surveyor‑General calls for field notes under regulation (s 22(1)(i)). Ensure that copies provided to the Central Plan Office or the Surveyor‑General are certified by the surveyor who carried out the survey where required by s 6(1)(c) and s 12(5).
Liaise with the Titles Office Survey Officer (s 9) for coordination of lodged plans in the Office of Titles with registered plans in the Central Plan Office. Ensure that plans lodged with the Office of Titles are consistent with requirements for registration and connexion.

Exemptions and disputes (s 21)

If compliance would disclose sensitive information or impose undue expense, apply to the Surveyor‑General for exemption from specified provisions of the Act. Applications can be made by the proper officer of a department, chairman or president of a public authority, or a licensed surveyor privately employed (s 21(1)).
If dissatisfied with a Surveyor‑General decision, the Minister, chairman or private surveyor may require referral of the decision to the Governor in Council whose decision is final (s 21(2)-(3)). Prepare supporting papers for any executive review.

Fees and charges (s 11, s 22(1)(ca))

When providing copies under s 11, charge either the amount provided for under any other Act for the sale of such copy or, absent such provision, cost of preparation plus 10 per cent. Check whether regulations under s 22(1)(ca) apply fees tied to lodgment of certified plans of subdivision under the Subdivision Act 1988, and incorporate those fees into project budgets.

Evidentiary preparedness (s 21B)

If a certified copy of a map or plan is to be used in court or administrative proceedings, ensure the certification meets the conditions in s 21B(2). Where certification has historically been applied by a prior ministerial custodian and the chain of custody meets the categories in s 21B(2)(a)-(e), the document will be prima facie evidence. Keep certification documentation and custody records.

Regulatory watch and standards updates (s 22(2))

Monitor regulations made under s 22 and any external technical documents adopted therein. Because regulations may adopt external standards by reference, maintain subscriptions or access to relevant technical manuals (for example AMG technical manual or national mapping council publications) and build compliance checks into project QA processes.

Internal roles and governance

Nominate a proper officer for the purposes of the Act (s 3 definition) and ensure relevant staff understand reporting lines for notices, quarterly returns and maintenance obligations. For departments, "proper officer" is the department head under the Public Administration Act 2004; ensure institutional responsibilities are aligned with that definition (s 3).

Following these steps will align operational practice with the primary obligations and preserve statutory validity of plans in proclaimed areas, protect permanent marks, and avoid administrative or evidentiary pitfalls set out in the Act.

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Plain English Summary

Deep Dive

What it does

Current sections

Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Source text: opening excerpt

1 Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

Main concepts

Who it affects

Key duties and rights

Penalties and enforcement

How it interacts with other laws

Amendment history

Litigation history

Gotchas

How to comply