Crombie v Department of Natural Resources and Water

In the case of Crombie v Department of Natural Resources and Water, Peter J Crombie and Oenone J Crombie appealed against the Chief Executive of the Department of Natural Resources and Water in the Land Court of Queensland. The dispute centred on the unimproved values applied to their grazing property, "Drumlion", for both rating and rental purposes under the Valuation of Land Act 1944. The Crombies argued that the Department's valuation of $760,000 for rating and $790,000 for rental purposes was excessive, and they proposed a valuation of $330,000 for both purposes. The core legal issues revolved around whether the Department's valuation correctly applied the principles of valuation and adequately considered relevant factors such as land characteristics and comparative sales.

The court examined the evidence presented by both parties, including testimony from the Crombies and the Department's valuer, Mr. PD Schefe. The Crombies argued that the Department failed to properly account for the property's characteristics and that the valuation was not in line with comparable properties. The Department, on the other hand, justified the valuations based on historical records, land system mapping, and eco-system mapping. The court found that while the Crombies' property was similar to another adjoining property, "Pialaway", the Department's separate valuation approach for different local authority areas was acceptable, albeit with a slight adjustment for rental purposes due to the size difference. The court determined that the Crombies' appeal should be allowed, setting aside the Chief Executive's valuation and determining the unimproved value of "Drumlion" for rating purposes at $686,000 and for rental purposes at $710,000.