Land utilisation
Overview
The review covered the existence and practical application of policies and procedures for the identification, recording, utilisation, monitoring and disposal of properties. In addition to these aspects, emphasis was also placed on the accountability of Government bodies for the property assets managed, in terms of adequate disclosure in annual financial statements and the value of this information for management purposes. Major findings were: the standard of recording of property assets was poor; certain aspects of existing legislation governing the use of Crown land are considered outmoded, and inappropriate for the purposes of obtaining adequate returns from land utilised by private sector and community organisations; lack of forward planning has contributed to a situation where extensive use is made of leased premises as a short-term option while at the same time a small number of Government-owned properties have not been fully utilised; property management skills are in short supply within public sector agencies.