Hunt Leather Pty Ltd ACN 000745960 & Anor v Transport for NSW; Hunt Leather Pty Ltd ABN 46000745960 & Ors v Transport for NSW ABN 18804239602

Hunt Leather Pty Ltd and another party (the appellants) brought proceedings against Transport for NSW (the respondent) in the High Court of Australia concerning the compulsory acquisition of land. The dispute arose from the respondent's exercise of its compulsory acquisition powers under the *Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991* (NSW) to acquire land for the Western Sydney Airport project. The appellants sought to challenge the validity of the acquisition notices and the compensation offered.

The High Court was required to determine whether the acquisition notices issued by the respondent were invalid due to alleged non-compliance with the procedural requirements of the *Act*. Specifically, the court considered whether the notices adequately identified the land to be acquired and whether the respondent had properly considered the interests of the registered proprietors and any other persons with an estate or interest in the land, as mandated by the legislation. A further issue was whether the appellants had established a sufficient basis to argue that the acquisition was for an improper purpose.

The Court held that the acquisition notices were valid. It reasoned that the notices, when read in conjunction with the accompanying plans and descriptions, sufficiently identified the land to be acquired, satisfying the statutory requirements. The Court found that Transport for NSW had undertaken the necessary inquiries to identify relevant interests in the land. Furthermore, the Court determined that the appellants had failed to demonstrate that the acquisition was for an improper purpose, concluding that the respondent had acted within its statutory authority.

Consequently, the High Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the primary court.