Compulsory acquisition of land: a brief legislative and statistical overview

Overview NSW has a pressing need for additional infrastructure. Projects such as WestConnex, NorthConnex, the light rail and Sydney Metro are being constructed to meet that need. In the process, they have become focal points of compulsory acquisition. Concerns have been raised about whether the compulsory acquisition process is being conducted in a fair manner and whether home owners are being adequately compensated for the market value of their homes. In order to inform consideration of these issues, this paper discusses the legal basis for compulsory acquisitions in NSW and presents a range of data relating to compulsory acquisition, including the outcome of court cases where market value has been in dispute