In SA, there are in excess of 300 pastoral leases, with this
land occupying more than 40 per cent of the state.
The use of pastoral land has, for many years, been controlled by
the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act
1989.
The state government has been undertaking a major review of the
act and has put proposed new legislation to replace the act –
the Pastoral Lands Bill 2020 – out for public
consultation.
Existing leases are proposed to roll over at the commencement of
the bill. But, they will be subject to a review by the Pastoral
Board within five years to ensure their conditions are consistent
with the requirements under the proposed legislation.
There are a number of major changes proposed as a consequence of
the bill. The first of these proposed changes is to increase the
maximum possible lease term from 42 years to 100 years. This will
allow greater certainty of tenure and, with it, mean that pastoral
lessees will be able to take a longer term
