The home maintenance area or living area has played an important part in closer settlement programmes in Australia during the last fifty years. It has been applied in Australian land policy in a number of ways:- (i) as a maximum in restricting transfers of land to prevent aggregation into large holdings; ( ii) as a minimum in determining the size of farms to be allotted in closer settlement programmes; (iii) as a measure in determining the area for retention by an original holder, when land is resumed or surrendered for closer settlement.