The owner of an asset is the person or entity that has exclusive rights and control over that asset, whether it be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property.
Queensland Valuation of Land Act 1944
Section 7 of the Queensland Valuation of Land Act 1944 discusses the meaning of owner. It says:
An owner of land is the person who -
- is entitled to receive the rent for the land; or
- would be entitled to receive the rent for the land if it were leased at a rack-rent.
A number of exceptions & elaborations are given in the act. Click here to open the act in pdf format.
Victorian Local Government Act 1989
Section 3 of the Victorian Local Government Act 1989 states that the "owner in relation to any land, means the person who is entitled to receive the rack-rent for the land or who, if the land were let at a rack-rent, would be entitled to receive the rent.