Following the commencement of amendments to the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1998, the following clarification is advised.
The intention of new regulation 14E(2) is to allow notice to be given in an appropriate form that the meeting is now being held electronically.
An appropriate form might include a notice on the local government web page, an email sent to relevant email lists or a notice on the door to council chambers – or a number of, or all of these.
It appears that differing interpretations are being provided in relation to the new regulations. Given that the amendments have been made in order to allow councils to operate in the current emergency conditions, a purposive approach to interpreting and applying the regulations is strongly encouraged.
WALGA is continuing to provide guidance to the sector. Information can be found on their
website.
If you have any questions, please contact the department at
LGresponse@dlgsc.wa.gov.au. This is a new email address which has been established to assist local governments during this time.
Yours sincerely
Duncan Ord OAM
Director General
27 March 2020