{"id":"hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-generals-report-act-2001","name":"Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium (Auditor-General's Report) Act 2001","slug":"hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":88997,"registerId":"sa-hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-generals-report-act-2001-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium (Auditor-General's Report) Act 2001","content":"South Australia\nHindmarsh Soccer Stadium (Auditor-General's Report) Act 2001\nAn Act to facilitate the completion of an inquiry relating to the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium by the Auditor-General; and for other purposes.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tAuthorisation and nature of Inquiry\n5\tReport of Inquiry\n6\tJudicial proceedings\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium (Auditor-General's Report) Act 2001.\n3—Interpretation\nIn this Act—\nInquiry means an inquiry by the Auditor-General in response to a request by the Treasurer that the Auditor-General examine and report on dealings relating to the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium Redevelopment Project and includes any inquiry by the Auditor-General relating to any matters referred to in the resolution of the Legislative Council relating to that project (in all its stages) passed on 17 November 19991.\nNote—\n1\tSee especially Hansard for 17 November 1999 at pp 481 and 482.\n4—Authorisation and nature of Inquiry\n\t(1)\tThe Auditor-General is authorised to undertake the Inquiry.\n\t(2)\tIt is declared that the Auditor-General has the power to examine, investigate, inquire into and report on any matter considered by the Auditor-General to be relevant to the Inquiry.\n\t(3)\tWithout limiting the operation of subsection (2), it will be taken—\n\t(a)\tthat the Inquiry is an examination under section 32 of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987; and\n\t(b)\tthat the Auditor-General may consider and report on any matter even if that matter does not relate to a publicly funded body within the meaning of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987; and\n\t(c)\tthat the Auditor-General may exercise or perform any power or function under the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 that the Auditor-General may have in relation to an examination under section 32 of that Act, including the power to make findings of fact and law; and\n\t(d)\tthat the Auditor-General may make findings as to the conduct of any person.\n\t(4)\tThe Auditor-General—\n\t(a)\tmay conduct the Inquiry in such manner as the Auditor-General thinks fit; and\n\t(b)\twithout limiting any other power, may set time limits and impose other requirements and, in the event of non-compliance with any such time limit or requirement, may make any determination or take any step as the Auditor-General thinks fit.\n\t(5)\tThe Auditor-General will incur no liability for an honest act or omission in the exercise or performance, or purported exercise or performance, of a power or function in connection with the Inquiry.\n5—Report of Inquiry\n\t(1)\tThe Auditor-General must prepare a report on the Inquiry by 31 October 2001.\n\t(2)\tThe Auditor-General must deliver copies of the report to the Treasurer and to the President of the Legislative Council and the Speaker of the House of Assembly by 31 October 2001.\n\t(3)\tThe President of the Legislative Council and the Speaker of the House of Assembly must, on the receipt of the report, cause the report to be published.\n\t(4)\tThe report will, when published under subsection (3), be taken for the purposes of any other Act or law to be a report of the Parliament published under the authority of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly.\n\t(5)\tThe Auditor-General must prepare and deliver the report even if—\n\t(a)\tthe report is only in draft form; or\n\t(b)\tthe Auditor-General considers that the Inquiry is incomplete or should continue beyond 31 October 2001; or\n\t(c)\tthe report or any aspect of the Inquiry has not been completed or concluded.\n6—Judicial proceedings\n\t(1)\tNo proceedings relating to any act or omission of the Auditor-General in connection, or purported connection, with the Inquiry before the prescribed date may be commenced more than 14 days after the prescribed date and in any event such proceedings may not be commenced if, as at the prescribed date, the time for bringing those proceedings has already expired.\n\t(2)\tNo proceedings relating to any act or omission of the Auditor-General in connection, or purported connection, with the Inquiry on or after the prescribed date may be commenced more than 14 days after the date of the act or omission.\n\t(3)\tNo proceedings may be brought, and no order may be given, to prevent the Auditor-General from preparing or from continuing to prepare, or from delivering, the report required by section 5, or any report prepared by the Auditor-General in purported compliance with that section.\n\t(4)\tWithout limiting the operation of subsection (3), no proceedings may be brought to question the bona fides or impartiality of the Auditor-General in the conduct of the Inquiry.\n\t(5)\tIf any proceedings are brought in connection with the Inquiry, the court before which the proceedings are brought must take into account—\n\t(a)\tthe intention of Parliament that the Auditor-General prepare and deliver a report on the Inquiry by 31 October 2001; and\n\t(b)\tthe desire of Parliament that the report on the Inquiry delivered by the Auditor-General be as comprehensive and complete as may be possible in the circumstances.\n\t(6)\tNo public funds may be applied in relation to any legal costs incurred after 27 July 2001 in connection with any proceedings relating to an act or omission of the Auditor-General in connection, or purported connection, with the Inquiry brought before a court, other than funds applied by the Auditor-General or by the court itself.\n\t(7)\tIn this section—\nprescribed date means the date on which this Act is assented to by the Governor;\nproceedings include proceedings for judicial review or for a declaration, injunction, writ, order or other form of judicial remedy.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal Act\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n2001\n38\nHindmarsh Soccer Stadium (Auditor‑General's Report) Act 2001\n3.8.2001\n17.11.1999: s 2\nProvisions amended\nNew entries appear in bold.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\ns 2\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: facilitating the Auditor-General's inquiry into the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium Redevelopment Project. The scope has not expanded beyond this specific, time-bound investigation. The legislative history shows only minor technical amendments (omission of section 2 under the Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002), indicating the Act has not grown beyond its original intent as a special-purpose investigative statute."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute (only 6 substantive sections)","Single defined term ('Inquiry') with a nested cross-reference to a 1999 Legislative Council resolution and Hansard","Extensive cross-referencing to the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 (section 32 examinations)","Complex temporal limitations in section 6 with two different limitation periods depending on whether acts occurred before or after the 'prescribed date' (assent date)","Nested protective provisions in section 6 creating multiple immunities and procedural bars","Unusual mandatory reporting requirement that applies even if the report is incomplete or in draft form (section 5(5))"],"plain_english_summary":"This law gives South Australia's Auditor-General special powers to investigate the controversial Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium redevelopment project and forces them to publish a report by a strict deadline, while shielding the investigation from legal challenges.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Authorises a specific inquiry** into the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium Redevelopment Project, requested by the Treasurer and the Legislative Council back in November 1999.\n- **Gives the Auditor-General extraordinary powers** normally reserved for examining government bodies, but extends them to examine *anyone* connected to the project—even private entities that don't normally fall under the Auditor-General's watch.\n- **Sets a hard deadline**: The Auditor-General must deliver a report by 31 October 2001, even if it's incomplete or only a draft.\n- **Blocks legal interference**: Courts cannot stop the Auditor-General from preparing or delivering the report. Lawsuits against the Auditor-General must be filed within 14 days, and no public money can be used to fund legal challenges (except by the Auditor-General or the court itself).\n- **Protects the Auditor-General**: They cannot be sued for honest mistakes made during the inquiry.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The Auditor-General (who must conduct the inquiry and meet the deadline)\n- Anyone involved in the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium project (who can be investigated even if they're not a government body)\n- Potential litigants (who face tight time limits and funding restrictions if they want to challenge the Auditor-General's actions)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is a **special-purpose investigative statute** created to break through potential legal and procedural roadblocks. The South Australian Parliament wanted answers about the stadium project and was concerned that normal processes might delay or derail the investigation. The law essentially says: \"Investigate thoroughly, report quickly, and don't let lawsuits slow you down.\" The unusual features—like forcing a report even if incomplete and banning public funding for challengers—suggest this was a politically sensitive matter where Parliament wanted to control the process tightly."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act is tightly focused on a single, named inquiry (the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium Redevelopment Project) and on ensuring completion of an Auditor‑General report by a fixed date. Its provisions expand the Auditor‑General's usual operational reach in limited, specific ways (for example, permitting examination of matters not involving publicly funded bodies and curtailing judicial delays), but those expansions are instrumental to the stated purpose of finishing that particular inquiry. The Act does not materially broaden into unrelated subject matter or create an ongoing general regime beyond enabling and time‑limiting this discrete inquiry (see s3–s6)."},"complexity_factors":["6 substantive sections (excluding title and table of contents)","Single key defined term 'Inquiry' with cross‑references to a Legislative Council resolution and Treasurer request (s3)","Multiple cross‑references to the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987, especially section 32 and related powers (s4(3)(a),(c))","Temporal and procedural constraints tied to specific dates (assent date = 'prescribed date'; deadline 31 October 2001; 14‑day limitation periods) (s5; s6)","Restrictions on judicial review with nested conditions and exceptions (s6(1)–(5))","Prohibition on public funding for legal costs after a specified date with an exception for Auditor‑General or court funding (s6(6))","Immunity clause for 'honest act or omission' narrowing personal liability questions for the Auditor‑General (s4(5))","Requirement to deliver report even if draft or incomplete, which creates an unusual mandatory‑completion rule (s5(5))"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanics)\n\n- Authorises the Auditor‑General to investigate the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium Redevelopment Project on request from the Treasurer and to treat that work as an official examination under the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 (s3; s4).  The Act explicitly lets the Auditor‑General use the powers and procedures available for section 32 examinations of that Act, including making findings of fact and law and findings about people’s conduct (s4(2)–(3)).\n\n- Broadens the scope of inquiry power beyond usual limits by allowing the Auditor‑General to look into matters even if they do not involve a publicly funded body (s4(3)(b)).\n\n- Gives the Auditor‑General discretion to run the inquiry as he or she thinks fit, set time limits and requirements, and make determinations if those are not met (s4(4)).  The Auditor‑General is protected from liability for honest acts or omissions in connection with the inquiry (s4(5)).\n\n- Requires the Auditor‑General to prepare a report and deliver copies to the Treasurer, the President of the Legislative Council and the Speaker of the House of Assembly by 31 October 2001 (s5(1)–(2)).  The presiding officers must publish the report on receipt (s5(3)–(4)).  The Auditor‑General must prepare and deliver the report even if it is only a draft or the inquiry is incomplete (s5(5)).\n\n- Imposes tight limits on judicial challenges to the Auditor‑General’s conduct of the inquiry (s6).  Key features:\n  - \"Prescribed date\" means the date the Act receives assent (s6(7)).\n  - Proceedings about acts or omissions of the Auditor‑General that occurred before the prescribed date must be started within 14 days after the prescribed date, unless the ordinary limitation period had already expired as at the prescribed date (s6(1)).\n  - Proceedings about acts or omissions on or after the prescribed date must be started within 14 days of the act or omission (s6(2)).\n  - Courts may not make orders preventing the Auditor‑General preparing, continuing or delivering the required report; and proceedings may not be brought to question the Auditor‑General’s bona fides or impartiality in the conduct of the inquiry (s6(3)–(4)).\n  - If proceedings are brought, courts must take into account Parliament’s intention that a report be prepared by 31 October 2001 and the desire that it be as comprehensive as circumstances permit (s6(5)).\n  - Public funds may not be used to pay legal costs for proceedings of this kind after 27 July 2001, except where the Auditor‑General or the court meets the costs (s6(6)).\n\nWho this affects\n\n- The Auditor‑General and the Treasurer (who requests the inquiry) — the Act sets roles and powers (s3; s4).\n- Individuals and organisations involved with the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium project — they may be examined, and findings may be made about their conduct (s4(3)(d)).  Because the Act allows inquiries beyond publicly funded bodies, private contractors and others can be examined (s4(3)(b)).\n- Courts and potential litigants — access to review and the time available to start proceedings are limited; courts are directed to give weight to Parliament’s timetable and desired thoroughness (s6).\n- Public finances — the Act bars use of public funds (after 27 July 2001) to meet legal costs for proceedings against the Auditor‑General in relation to the inquiry, except where the Auditor‑General or the court meets them (s6(6)).\n\nWhy this matters (official purpose and concrete trade‑offs)\n\n- Officially, the Act exists to \"facilitate the completion of an inquiry\" into the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium project by giving the Auditor‑General clear authority, tools and an enforced timetable (short title and s4–s5).  That purpose is implemented by expanding investigatory scope and curtailing legal avenues that could delay or stop the report (s4; s5; s6).\n\n- Costs, incentives and trade‑offs to note:\n  - Time pressure and mandatory delivery (report due by 31 October 2001 and must be delivered even if draft/incomplete: s5(1), s5(5)) create an incentive for the Auditor‑General to prioritise completion over extended investigation; that may shorten inquiry depth or leave outstanding lines of inquiry.\n  - Allowing examination of non‑publicly funded parties (s4(3)(b)) increases the pool of subjects and may increase compliance and cooperation burdens on private businesses and contractors involved in the project.\n  - Curtailing judicial review windows and barring challenges to the Auditor‑General’s impartiality (s6(1)–(4)) reduces delay risk but also narrows legal remedies and oversight — a concentration of procedural benefit (fewer delays) with potential diffuse cost (reduced forum for aggrieved parties).\n  - Prohibiting public funding for legal costs after a fixed date (s6(6)) shifts the financial risk of litigation onto individuals and organisations unless the Auditor‑General or the court funds them, which may discourage litigation.\n  - The Auditor‑General’s statutory immunity for honest acts or omissions (s4(5)) reduces personal liability risk for the officeholder, encouraging robust action but also limiting recourse where the office makes mistakes.\n\nImplementation risks and compliance burdens\n\n- Short statutory timelines for report preparation and the 14‑day windows for commencing proceedings create operational risk for the Auditor‑General, affected parties and courts (s5; s6).\n- Entities required to produce documents or cooperate in the inquiry may face compressed timeframes and possible reputational or commercial impacts if findings are published quickly (s4; s5).\n- The cross‑use of powers under the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 (s4(3)(a)–(c)) requires the Auditor‑General and respondents to apply that Act’s procedures in a slightly expanded context, which may create interpretation or scope disputes.\n\nNet effect in plain terms\n\n- The Act gives the Auditor‑General strong, time‑limited authority to investigate the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium project (including private parties), requires a report by 31 October 2001 even if incomplete, curtails avenues and time for court challenges, and limits public funding of litigation related to the inquiry.  It shifts decision authority to the Auditor‑General and reduces procedural obstacles to completing a report on a set timetable.\n\n(References: s3, s4, s5, s6.)"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope change cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not available. The page returned a website error rather than the Act's content. No comparison between original intent and final form is possible."},"complexity_factors":["The actual legislative text was not retrievable — a 'Page Not Found' error was returned instead of the Act's content","No substantive legal provisions, definitions, schedules, or operative clauses were available for analysis","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without the text; score of 1 reflects absence of analysable content, not simplicity of the law itself","The Act's title suggests a narrow, specific purpose (tabling or acting upon an Auditor-General's report) which is typically low in legislative complexity, but this remains unconfirmed"],"plain_english_summary":"This South Australian Act from 2001 concerns Hindmarsh (Coopers) Stadium and incorporates or responds to an Auditor‑General’s report. It appears aimed at giving legal effect to audit findings or directing a government response, so it affects government bodies responsible for the stadium’s spending and operation. The full text wasn’t available, so specifics and exact obligations can’t be confirmed here."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001","history":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001/history","analysis":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/hindmarsh-soccer-stadium-auditor-general-s-report-act-2001/documents"}}