15 September, 2019

We’ve been busy this year! The new Crown land manager interactive induction program is now live, and our new Reserve Manager’s Portal and website are just around the corner. We’re running information sessions throughout the state in October to showcase these online tools — don’t miss out.

In this edition we:

• chat to Paul Heley, secretary of the Bottle Bend Reserve Land Manager, about this once-devastated nature reserve which also has significant cultural heritage
• profile Angela Lordan, Supervisor of Reserves and Communications in the Dubbo Business Centre
• provide a status update on ABNs for statutory land managers as well as updated guidance for developments.

Coming soon - Crown land manager information sessions

Crown land manager information sessions will be held in October at 15 locations across NSW. The focus of the sessions is the launch of the new Reserve Manager portal - a new online tool to make it easier and simpler for CLMs to undertake their roles. The portal will allow CLMs to update their details, submit annual reports and more. A new Reserve Manager website will also be showcased at the sessions.

Join us at the events and also connect with other reserve managers in your local area. Please register as soon as possible so that we can make sure we have the right number of our team there to make each session as productive as possible.

Coming soon - Reserve Manager website

We’ve been working hard this year on a dedicated website for Crown land managers. The new site will replace the Reserve Trust Handbook and provide a range of additional resources to support CLMs in their roles managing reserves.

You’ll find all the information and other resources, such as forms, templates and useful links, in one place. Designed so it’s easy to navigate and find what you need, it features beautiful images, inspiring stories from the field and helpful insights from other CLMs.

The website is scheduled to launch in September 2019.

Bottle Bend on the mend

Bottle Bend Reserve is a 1600 hectare nature reserve on the Murray River, south of the Sturt Highway near Monak. It provides an opportunity for travellers and locals to enjoy the riverine environment of the Murray River, with camping sites, picnic tables and walking tracks.

Containing significant black box woodlands and wetland vegetation, the forest is now recovering from years of drought and acid sulphate pollution with the help of environmental watering schemes.

Another major focus for the CLM is investigating and preserving Aboriginal cultural heritage on the reserve. Read more

Angela Lordan, Supervisor - Reserves & communications

Angela Lordan supervises the Reserves and Communications team at the Crown lands Business Centre in Dubbo. Among other functions, they’re the first point of call for any issues relating to Crown land -- so if you’ve ever rung the Crown Lands 1300-number, that would be them.

Angela and her team provide phone and email support for over 600 community boards and approximately 350 corporations in their role as Crown Land Managers of over 7,500 reserves across NSW. Read more

ABN update

The transition from the repealed Crown Lands Act 1989 to the Crown Lands Management Act 2016 required a number of administrative changes. The department undertook to complete many of these changes on behalf of CLMs. One of these was updating the name associated with Australian Business Numbers (ABN) for statutory land managers (SLMs): replacing the word “Trust” with “Land Manager”.

For most SLMs this update has occurred. However, throughout the process some issues were identified relating to the way in which the ABN was originally registered. The department is continuing to work directly with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to resolve these issues.

If you’re having any problems in conducting your business as a result of an incorrect ABN, please contact the department (see details below) and we will help.

Developments on Crown reserves - land owners consent

When proposing to conduct development that requires a development application (DA), the first step in the process for CLMs is to gain consent — referred to as land owners consent — from the department to lodge a DA.

The department has published updated guidance on land owners consent for CLMs and tenure holders seeking to submit a DA on Crown land. The guidance can be found on the land owners consent fact sheet.

If you’re unsure if your proposed development requires a DA, your local council will be able to help.

Share your stories

Sharing stories is a great way to learn from each other and recognise the hard work and dedication of reserve managers. If you would like to share your story, contact us.