With a view to ensure purposeful and efficient land use, and also for the development of housing and mortgage market, the President decrees to authorize privatization by legal persons of land plots on which buildings and constructions are located from 1 January 2007. Long-term lease contracts applicable to the plots of land that have not been privatized in accordance with the above-mentioned modalities shall be subject to re-registration. Natural persons shall be authorized to privatize land plots allocated thereto for individual housing construction from 1 January 2008.

The Act gives interpretations of various terms used in other legislation of Papua New Guinea and provides for definitions, rules and principles applicable to all Acts and Instruments and the interpretation of references in such legislation. References include a reference to "Administration land" or an "Administration lease".The interpretations include: “archipelagic waters”, "custom”, “customary land”, “interest in land” , “internal waters”, “land”, “offshore seas”, “owner” (in relation to land) and “territorial sea”.

This Presidential Decree establishes the modalities of expropriation and allotment of the plots of land specifying that the type of proprietary right to land plots shall be determined by the purposeful use thereof in accordance with the provisions of the present Presidential Decree.

The Law consists of 10 Sections composed of 212 articles. Land is the main national wealth under special protection of the State. The right of ownership of land is guaranteed. Use of the right of land ownership cannot damage rights and freedom of citizens, interests of society, deterioration of ecological situation and natural qualities of land.

The stock of land in accordance with its destination is subdivided into the following categories: 1) agricultural land; 2) urban land; 3) industrial land; 4) land of protected areas; 5) forest land; 6) water land; 7) reserve land. The document consists of 5 Sections composed of 21 Chapters that contain 170 articles. Section 1 (Chapters 1-2) lays down general provisions. Chapter 1 (arts. 1-12) lays down general provisions. Chapter 2 (arts. 13-19) establishes competence of state institutions in the field of land relations.

Maximum area of the plots of land for subsidiary small-holding that can be conceded in ownership and (or) other rights to the natural persons engaged in subsidiary small-holding must be of 10 hectares.

This Regional Law establishes that total area of land plots that can be contemporaneously owed to citizens performing subsidiary smallholding shall be established as average district land share determined at the moment of transfer of agricultural land free of charge in ownership to citizens in accordance with the acting legislation.

The Land Reform Act determines the bases for restructuring relations regarding land (land reform). Based on the continuity of rights of former owners and the interests of current land users that are protected by law, and to establish preconditions for more effective use of land, the objective of land reform is to transform relations based on state ownership of land into relations primarily based on private ownership of land.

The Law is divided into 8 Chapters: General Provisions (I); Ownership and Right to the Use Land (II); General Plans for the Utilization of Land (III); Protection of Cultivated Land (IV); Land for Construction Purposes (V); Supervision and Examination (VI); Legal Responsibilities (VII); Supplementary Provisions (VIII).This Law grants the ownership of land in rural and suburban areas to the collectives. Such land must be registered and recorded by the Governments at the county level. State-owned land may be used by units or by individuals and is recorded by local People's Governments.

This Act lays down provisions on land arrangements and defines the competences of land authorities. Land arrangements aim at restructuring, consolidating or dividing lands in order to ensure the accessibility and rational exploitation of lands.

This Law regulates the activity of public municipal services, including water abstraction and supply of potable water, sewage and thermal energy supply. Plots of land required for rendering of public municipal services shall be expropriated and transferred under public ownership. Public municipal services shall be based upon the following principles: (a) sustainability; (b) accountability and legality; (c) local autonomy; (d) decentralization; and (e) environmental protection and rational management of natural resources.

Les droits de propiété de terres du Domaine Foncier Rural acquis antérieurement à la loi nº 98-750 sont maintenus. et les propriétairtes figurent sur une liste établie par décret. Les détenteurs de certificats fonciers ruraux sur le périmètres mitoyens doivent être requis d'exercer un droit de préemption.

Modifie: Loi nº 98-750 relative au domaine foncier rural. (1998-12-23)