{"id":"tas:sr-2003-031","name":"Local Government (Term of Office of Kentish Council Councillors) Order 2003","slug":"local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"31 of 2003","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":318262,"registerId":"tas-tas:sr-2003-031-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-08","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"### 1 Short title\n\n> This order may be cited as the [Local Government (Term of Office of Kentish Council Councillors) Order 2003](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/sr-2003-031) .","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"### 2 Commencement\n\n> This order takes effect on the day on which its making is notified in the *Gazette*.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Interpretation","content":"### 3 Interpretation\n\n> The [Acts Interpretation Act 1931](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1931-059) applies to the interpretation of this order as if it were by-laws.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Term of office","content":"### 4 Term of office\n\n> > (1)  The term of office for the half of the number of councillors who are first elected to the Kentish Council in respect of the election for which the closing day is 24 June 2003 is from the date of issue of the certificate of election in respect of that election until the date of issue of the certificate of election in respect of the election to be held in October 2006.\n> \n> > (2)  The term of office for the other half of the number of councillors elected to the Kentish Council in respect of the election for which the closing day is 24 June 2003 is from the date of issue of the certificate of election in respect of that election until the date of issue of the certificate of election in respect of the election to be held in October 2004.\n\nDisplayed and numbered in accordance with the *[Rules Publication Act 1953](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1953-050)*.\n\nNotified in the *Gazette* on 7 May 2003\n\nThis order is administered in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[{"type":"other","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"medium","reasoning":"A term-of-office order is typically a transitional or one-off instrument designed to fix a specific electoral term. Once that term expires, the instrument is functionally spent. It is logically absurd for such an instrument to remain listed as 'current' and 'in force' for over two decades without amendment or repeal, suggesting either a drafting oversight or a failure of legislative housekeeping that renders the ongoing legal status of the instrument meaningless.","confidence":0.72,"description":"The version is stated to be 'current from 7 May 2003 to date' with the access date of 8 April 2026, yet the file was last modified on 23 July 2024. An instrument of this narrow scope (fixing the term of office of councillors for a single council) should have been spent or repealed once the relevant term elapsed, yet it purports to remain current law over 23 years later."},{"type":"other","section":"Status Information - Table of Amending Instruments","severity":"low","reasoning":"An order fixing a specific council's term of office logically should not require amendment — the term is either fixed or it is not. The reference to amending instruments raises the question of what could legitimately be amended in such a narrow instrument without defeating its entire purpose. If the term was amended, it was no longer 'fixed' in the manner originally ordered, creating an internal logical tension.","confidence":0.55,"description":"The document references a 'Table of Amendments' for an instrument that, by its nature and title, should be a single-purpose, spent transitional order. The existence of amending instruments for an order fixing a council's term of office implies the underlying purpose was repeatedly modified, which is inconsistent with the concept of a fixed term."},{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Status Information - Authorisation / Currency","severity":"low","reasoning":"A 'version current from 7 May 2003' implies no new version has been created since commencement, meaning the instrument has not been amended in substance. However, a file modification date of 23 July 2024 suggests something changed. The reconciliation — that the modification may be administrative or metadata-only — is plausible but not apparent from the document itself, leaving an apparent contradiction between the version currency statement and the modification date.","confidence":0.6,"description":"The file is stated to have been last modified on 23 July 2024, yet the version is described as current 'from 7 May 2003 to date.' This implies the instrument is simultaneously unchanged since 2003 (same version) and yet was modified in 2024, which is self-contradictory on its face."}],"contradictions":[{"severity":"low","section_a":"Status Information - Currency of version ('current from 7 May 2003 to date')","section_b":"Authorisation ('File last modified 23 July 2024')","confidence":0.63,"description":"The document claims a single continuous version in force since 7 May 2003 with no new version, while simultaneously disclosing a file modification date of 23 July 2024, implying a change was made more than 21 years after commencement without generating a new version record."}]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This legislation served exactly its original purpose: setting staggered terms for one specific council election. It was intentionally narrow and temporary, with no expansion beyond that original intent."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: 4 operative sections","No defined terms beyond standard statutory interpretation","Single, specific factual scenario with no conditional logic","No cross-references to other legislation except standard interpretation Act","Straightforward arithmetic split (half/half) with fixed dates"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a very specific Tasmanian law from 2003 that sets different term lengths for councillors elected to the Kentish Council (a local council in northern Tasmania) at the same election in June 2003.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Splits the newly elected councillors into two equal groups\n- **First group:** Serves a **3-year term** (until October 2006)\n- **Second group:** Serves a **1-year term** (until October 2004)\n\n**Why this happened:**\nThis was a transitional arrangement to move Kentish Council from one election cycle to another. Instead of all councillors' terms expiring at once (which would leave the council without experienced members), half stayed longer while half faced re-election sooner. This \"staggered\" approach ensures continuity of local government.\n\n**Who it affects:**\nOnly councillors elected to Kentish Council in June 2003. This law has no ongoing effect today—it was a one-off timing fix for a specific election more than 20 years ago."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Section 4 creates staggered terms for the councillors elected at the 24 June 2003 Kentish Council election by splitting them into two groups with different expiry dates (October 2004 and October 2006). This changes the term structure applicable to that particular election cohort and applies only to Kentish Council councillors elected in that contest (s4)."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument with only four clauses (limited number of provisions).","Narrow scope: applies to a specific council and a single election cohort (s4).","Uses external interpretive rule (Acts Interpretation Act 1931) which standardises reading but adds reliance on another Act (s3).","Commencement tied to Gazette notification, requiring administrative action to take effect (s2).","Operational dependence on issuance dates of certificates of election to determine term start/end introduces administrative sequencing and record-keeping (s4).","The phrase identifying which councillors form the first half ('the half ... who are first elected') may require a local procedure to determine group membership, creating minor implementation discretion (s4)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Order fixes staggered terms for councillors elected to Kentish Council at the 24 June 2003 election. Half of those elected serve until the issue of certificates for the October 2004 election and the other half until the issue of certificates for the October 2006 election. It takes effect on Gazette notification and is to be read using the Acts Interpretation Act 1931."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available information, the order appears to have remained unchanged since it was made in May 2003, with no amending instruments recorded. Its scope remains confined to its original, narrow purpose of adjusting the term of office for Kentish Council councillors."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely narrow and localised scope — applies to one specific council only","The full operative text is not reproduced in the provided document, making it impossible to assess the precise legal mechanism used","Relies on understanding of the parent legislation (Local Government Act 1993) to interpret its authority and effect","Short administrative instrument with no apparent amendments, reducing interpretive complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"This 2003 administrative order fixed the term length for councillors of the Kentish Council in northern Tasmania. Issued under the Local Government Act 1993 to realign the council’s election cycle, it applied specifically to Kentish councillors and the municipality’s voters. It was a one‑off adjustment made in May 2003 and remains unchanged."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003","history":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003/history","analysis":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/local-government-term-of-office-of-kentish-council-councillors-order-2003/documents"}}