Crown Lands Act 1976

Where the Minister proposes to sell any Crown land by auction he shall cause to be published in the Gazette and a newspaper circulating within the district in which the land is situated, at least a fortnight before the date on which the auction is to be held, a notice setting out the time and place of the auction and the particulars of the land intended to be sold.

The Minister may, in respect of the sale by auction of any Crown land – withdraw the land from sale at any time before it is sold and sell it by private treaty at a price which is not less than the reserve price fixed in respect thereof by the Director-General; and reserve his right to bid at the auction up to and including the reserve price fixed by the Director-General; and bid or cause bids to be made on his behalf at the auction.

Where bids made at an auction do not reach the reserve price, the Minister may – sell the land to the person making the highest bid at the auction; or request the Director-General to review the reserve price thereof with a view to fixing a fresh reserve price and offer the land again for auction at the reviewed reserve price.

Nothing in this section shall be construed as obliging the Minister or the auctioneer to disclose the amount fixed by the Director-General as the reserve price of any Crown land before or after its sale by auction.

Where any person conducting an auction of any Crown land makes a representation in respect of that land which he knows or ought to know to be false and, as a result of that representation, loss is suffered by the purchaser of that land, the Minister shall make good that loss.