Legal Insights

COVID-19 and government

• 16 April 2020 • 0 min read

All three tiers of government are working to deal with the health effects of COVID-19 while responding to the economic impact of the outbreak.

Commonwealth, state and local governments are under intense pressure to make important decisions in a fluid and rapidly evolving situation. This includes introducing measures to restrict social movement, making resources available to prevent and treat COVID-19 and providing stimulus to national and local economies. Most importantly, our political leaders are being looked to by their communities to provide regular updates on the situation in a way that informs and influences.

Government

COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 – Significant matters for Local Government, Planning and Environment

The Omnibus Act 2020 contains some important measures touching on the role and responsibilities of a municipal council as both a planning and responsible Authority.

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COVID-19 A refresher on signing contracts electronically for Victorian government

Governments and businesses must continue to enter into contracts to ensure the continued supply of essential goods and services. What are the key requirements for signing contracts electronically for Victorian government departments and agencies?

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New COVID-19 regulation for NSW local government is not only about COVID-19

New COVID-19 regulation for NSW local government is not only about COVID-19 but also enables councils to publish certain notices via a new method. Our NSW Local Government team break down what this means for councils.

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Urgent Commonwealth procurements during COVID-19: focus on the urgent; remember the important

The Commonwealth government is being required to procure goods and services urgently as a result of COVID-19, but what are some of the procurement rules that might be relied on to procure services urgently while maintaining a value for money outcome?

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Council meetings and the spread of COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19 has understandably led some Victorian councils to consider life without Council meetings. Our Public Law team outlines the options available to Victorian councils.

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Council functions during the COVID-19 outbreak

The COVID-19 outbreak has created challenges for NSW local councils that are looking to take immediate action to protect the community, council staff and essential services.

Our NSW Local Government team examines some of the issues councils are facing.

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Update: Council functions during the COVID-19 breakout

In our recent article, Council functions during the COVID-19 outbreak, we explained the options councils can take to ensure council meetings can proceed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

As an update to this communication, on Wednesday 25 March the (NSW) came into force. The Act amends a number of Acts, including the Local Government Act 1993.

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Managing GIPA Act applications and preserving information access rights during COVID-19

Evolving business continuity arrangements due to COVID-19 will have an impact on how NSW local councils, NSW State government departments and other agencies manage their responsibilities under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act) and the Government Information (Public Access) Regulations 2018 (NSW) (GIPA Regs).

In particular, agencies may be concerned about how they will meet GIPA Act timeframes and avoid deemed refusals.

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COVID-19 Impacts on Freedom of Information (FOI)

What are the implications of measures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 on the Victorian State Government’s FOI obligations?

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New COVID-19 regulation for NSW local government is not only about COVID-19

In response to COVID-19, new Regulation temporarily pushes back some dates on which certain things must be done, provides additional time for the payment of annual rates and charges, permits councils to waive or reduce fees in a category of cases that relate to a response to COVID-19 without public notice and removes the need for certain documents to be made available for physical inspection at the offices of the council.

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COVID-19 - A refresher on signing contracts electronically for Victorian government

This article provides a brief refresher on requirements for signing contracts electronically for Victorian government departments and agencies.

Find out more

COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 – Significant matters for Local Government, Planning and Environment

The Act contains some important measures touching on the role and responsibilities of a municipal council as both a planning and responsible Authority.

Find out more