Land Search Law Change Draws on Transport Department's New Vehicle Registration Mark Search Regime, With Only 1 'Exceptional' Application Approved in 34 Months

The Transport Department introduced a new vehicle registration mark search regime in January 2024, and in the 34 months since, only 1 'exceptional circumstances' application has been accepted. The government, when planning to tighten land search arrangements by amending the law, said it had drawn on that regime, while land searches generally exceed 5 million a year; the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has received 20 complaints over the past 5 years about abuse of land register information, most of which were not substantiated, and the office has opened investigations into 2.