The SA Government’s Statutes Amendment (Local Government) Review Bill 2020 was introduced into state parliament on 17 June.
Key proposed reforms in the Bill include a new conduct management framework for council members; an expansion of expert, independent advice to councils on a range of critical financial and governance matters; modern approach to public consultation; and a range of improvements to regulation to reduce councils’ costs.
The proposed reforms are based on ideas submitted during consultation in early 2019 and submissions of the resulting Discussion Paper containing over 70 major reforms to local government legislation, as well as several minor amendments.
Details of the Bill are available online.
In related news, the Planning and Design Code for SA’s outback and rural areas is now available for the general public to preview.