Tighe v Chief Executive, Department of Natural Resources

The appeal in Tighe v Chief Executive, Department of Natural Resources was heard by the Land Court of Queensland, Brisbane, on 2 October 1998. The appellants, Michael L and Margaret E Tighe, challenged the valuation of their property at 122 Kadumba Street, Yeronga, which had been assessed at $86,000. The appellants argued that the valuation should be $83,000. The court was required to determine whether the Chief Executive's valuation of the property was accurate and whether any adjustments were necessary based on the arguments presented. The court also needed to consider the impact of traffic, the nature of the land, the relativity of values, and the method of valuation.

The court found that the Chief Executive's valuation of the subject property at $86,000 was accurate. The court accepted the comparison of sales made by the Chief Executive and noted that the appellants had not seriously discredited these comparisons. The court also found that the Chief Executive had appropriately considered the impact of traffic and had made allowance for it in the valuation. The court agreed with the Chief Executive's assessment that the property's value was not excessively impacted by erosion and surface water. The court concluded that the Chief Executive's method of valuation, including the use of a computerized mass appraisal technique, was consistent with the intentions of the Valuation of Land Act 1944. The court further determined that the Chief Executive had acted appropriately in reviewing and adjusting the unimproved values in the locality to ensure uniformity and relativity.

The court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the unimproved value of Lots 90 and 91 on RP 40172 at $86,000, as determined by the Chief Executive, Department of Natural Resources.