{"id":"local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021","name":"Local Government (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021","slug":"local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":236115,"registerId":"sa-local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Local Government (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021","content":"South Australia\nLocal Government (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021\nunder the Local Government Act 1999\n\nContents\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1\tShort title\n3\tInterpretation\nPart 2—Initial transitional provisions relating to Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021\n4\tGeneral\n5\tMobile food vending businesses\n6\tCertain resolutions\n7\tElections—method of counting\nPart 3—Further transitional provisions relating to Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021\n9\tChief executive officer provisions\n10\tBy‑laws\n11\tReview of decisions\n11A\tPrincipal member of council\n12\tElections\n13\tFinancial accountability\n14\tCouncil audit and risk committees—membership\n15\tAuditor\nPart 4—Transitional provisions relating to conduct\n16\tCouncil behavioural management policies\n17\tRepeated misbehaviour\nPart 5—Transitional provisions relating to public consultation\n18\tPublic consultation\nLegislative history\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Local Government (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—\nAct means the Local Government Act 1999;\nAmendment Act means the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021.\nPart 2—Initial transitional provisions relating to Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021\n4—General\n\t(1)\tA reference to Chapter 5 Part 4 Division 1 Subdivision 2 in section 55A(6) of the Act (as inserted by section 20 of the Amendment Act) will be taken to be a reference to Chapter 5 Part 4 Division 2 of the Act until the commencement of section 28 of the Amendment Act.\n\t(2)\tSection 99A(10) of the Act (as inserted by section 60 of the Amendment Act) does not apply to a council until the day on which the first determination made by the Remuneration Tribunal for the purposes of that section takes effect.\n\t(3)\tThe amendments to section 184 of the Act effected by section 99(1), (3) or (4) of the Amendment Act do not apply to or in relation to the sale of land under section 184 if the notice under section 184(2) for the purposes of that sale is given before the commencement of those amendments.\n\t(4)\tFor the avoidance of doubt, the operation of section 184(1) of the Act (including the calculation of any period of 3 years or more for which an amount payable by way of rates in respect of land has been in arrears) is not affected by subregulation (3) (or the amendments effected by section 99 of the Amendment Act).\n5—Mobile food vending businesses\n\t(1)\tA permit granted under section 222 of the Act for the purposes of a mobile food vending business and in force immediately before the commencement of section 108(1) of the Amendment Act continues in force for the term stated in the permit subject to the conditions applying to the permit and the provisions of sections 222, 224 and 225 of the Act as in force after the commencement of section 108(1) apply to such a permit.\n\t(2)\tIf a review has been commenced but not finally determined by the Small Business Commissioner under section 225B of the Act before the repeal of that section by section 114 of the Amendment Act, the review may be continued and completed by the Commissioner under section 225B of the Act as if the repeal had not been effected.\n6—Certain resolutions\nThe amendments to section 234A of the Act effected by section 119 of the Amendment Act do not apply to or in relation to a resolution passed under section 234A before the commencement of section 119.\n7—Elections—method of counting\nThe amendments to section 48 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 effected by section 173 of the Amendment Act apply in relation to an election the close of voting for which occurs on or after the day on which section 173 commences.\nPart 3—Further transitional provisions relating to Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021\n9—Chief executive officer provisions\n\t(1)\tThe amendments to section 97 of the Act effected by section 57 of the Amendment Act do not apply to or in relation to the termination of a chief executive officer's appointment on a ground or circumstance that arose before the commencement of section 57.\n\t(2)\tThe amendments to section 98 of the Act effected by section 58 of the Amendment Act do not apply to or in relation to a vacancy in the office of chief executive officer that occurs before the commencement of section 58.\n\t(3)\tThe requirement under section 102A(1)(b) of the Act (as inserted by section 61 of the Amendment Act) that a council review the performance of its chief executive officer before their reappointment does not apply to or in relation to a reappointment taking effect before 1 February 2022.\n10—By‑laws\n\t(1)\tThe amendment to section 249(1) of the Act effected by section 122(1) of the Amendment Act does not apply to or in relation to a proposal to make a by‑law under section 249 if the copies of the proposed by‑law have been made available under existing section 249(1)(a) and a notice relating to the proposed by‑law has been published in accordance with existing section 249(1)(b) before the commencement of section 122(1).\n\t(2)\tIn this regulation—\nexisting section 249(1)(a) means section 249(1)(a) of the Act as in force immediately before the commencement of section 122(1) of the Amendment Act;\nexisting section 249(1)(b) means section 249(1)(b) of the Act as in force immediately before the commencement of section 122(1) of the Amendment Act.\n11—Review of decisions\n\t(1)\tThe amendments to section 270 of the Act effected by section 135 of the Amendment Act do not apply to or in relation to a review in respect of an application received by a council before the commencement of section 135.\n\t(2)\tWithout limiting subregulation (1), section 270(4a)(a)(i) of the Act (as inserted by section 135(4) of the Amendment Act) does not apply to or in relation to the policies, practices and procedures of a council established under section 270 until the commencement of section 5(1) of the Amendment Act.\n11A—Principal member of council\n\t(1)\tIn connection with section 147(2) and (3) of the Amendment Act, a council constituted on the basis that the principal member is to be chosen by the members of the council from amongst their own number must conduct a review of its composition under Chapter 3 Part 1 of the Act so as to ensure that the appointment or election of a mayor required by section 51(1) of the Act (as amended by section 17 of the Amendment Act) takes effect from polling day for the second periodic election held after the commencement of section 17.\n\t(2)\tDespite subregulation (1), section 12 of the Act applies to a relevant council required to conduct a review of its composition under Chapter 3 Part 1 of the Act in accordance with that subregulation as follows:\n\t(a)\tsection 12(3) to (11e) (inclusive) do not apply if the relevant council prepares a report on matters relating to the change in the basis on which the principal member of the council is to be determined, including any action that is required to be taken in order to give effect to the change;\n\t(b)\tsection 12(12) to (16) (inclusive) and (18) to (25) (inclusive) apply as if—\n\t(i)\ta reference to a report were a reference to a report under paragraph (a); and\n\t(ii)\ta reference to a proposal were a reference to a proposal set out in a report under paragraph (a); and\n\t(iii)\ta reference to a failure to undertake a review in accordance with the requirements of section 12 were a reference to a failure to undertake such a review as modified by this regulation;\n\t(c)\tsection 12(17) does not apply.\n\t(3)\tIn this regulation—\nrelevant council means a council to which subregulation (1) applies that commenced a review of its composition under Chapter 3 Part 1 of the Act after the conclusion of the periodic election held in 2018 and completed the review before the commencement of this regulation.\n12—Elections\n\t(1)\tWithout limiting regulation 7, an amendment effected by a provision of Part 3 of the Amendment Act does not apply to or in relation to an election if the vacancy giving rise to the election occurs before the commencement of the relevant provision of Part 3.\n\t(2)\tUntil the commencement of section 196(12) of the Amendment Act—\n\t(a)\tthe reference in Schedule 1 clause 18(1) of the City of Adelaide Act 1998 to the twenty first day before polling day will be taken to be a reference to the twenty eighth day before polling day; and\n\t(b)\tthe reference in Schedule 1 clause 18(1) of the City of Adelaide Act 1998 to 14 days before polling day will be taken to be a reference to 21 days before polling day.\n13—Financial accountability\nUntil the commencement of section 79(1) of the Amendment Act, the requirement under section 122(1e)(b) of the Act (as inserted by section 79(2) of the Amendment Act) for a council to provide the designated authority with all relevant information on revenue sources outlined in the funding plan referred to in subsection (1a)(a) (of section 122 of the Act) will be taken to be satisfied if the council provides the designated authority with all relevant information on the intended sources of the council's projected total revenue for the period to which its long‑term financial plan relates (such as revenue from rates, grants and other fees and charges).\n14—Council audit and risk committees—membership\nOn and after the commencement of section 84(5) of the Amendment Act and despite paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 126(2) of the Act (as in force after that commencement)—\n\t(a)\ta member of a council audit and risk committee holding office immediately before the commencement of section 84(5) of the Amendment Act will continue to hold office for the remainder of their term of office; and\n\t(b)\tparagraphs (a) and (b) of section 126(2) of the Act do not apply to the membership of the committee for any period during which the continuation in office of a member of the council audit and risk committee under paragraph (a) results in the membership of the committee not being in accordance with those paragraphs.\n15—Auditor\nIf, immediately before the commencement of section 87(3) of the Amendment Act, a firm comprising at least 1 registered company auditor holds office as auditor of a council under a contract entered into by the council, section 128(6) of the Act (as in force after the commencement of section 87(3)) does not apply to the council until the end of the term of the contract.\nPart 4—Transitional provisions relating to conduct\n16—Council behavioural management policies\n\t(1)\tThe following provisions apply in relation to behavioural management policies of councils under section 262B of the Act (as inserted by section 126 of the Amendment Act):\n\t(a)\ta reference in an Act, statutory instrument or other instrument or document to a council's behavioural management policy will be taken to be a reference to the LGA's model behavioural management policy until the council adopts its behavioural management policy under section 262B;\n\t(b)\ta council need not adopt a behavioural management policy under section 262B(1) until the designated day.\n\t(2)\tFor the purposes of subregulation (1)—\n\t(a)\tthe LGA is declared to be a prescribed body under section 303(6)(a) of the Act; and\n\t(b)\tthe principal office of the LGA (at 148 Frome Street, Adelaide, 5000 or, if the LGA moves its principal office, at that new address) is specified for the purposes of section 303(7)(c) of the Act.\n\t(3)\tIn this regulation—\ndesignated day means the day designated by the Minister by notice in the Gazette for the purposes of this regulation;\nLGA's model behavioural management policy means the document entitled \"Model behavioural management policy\" published by the LGA on its website, as in force from time to time.\n17—Repeated misbehaviour\nIn determining whether a failure by a member of a council to comply with Chapter 5 Part 4 Division 2 of the Act is a second or subsequent such failure for the purposes of the definition of repeated misbehaviour in section 262E of the Act (as inserted by section 126 of the Amendment Act), a previous failure by the member to comply with Part 2 of the code of conduct to be observed by members of councils under section 63 of the Act (as in force immediately before its repeal by section 27 of the Amendment Act) may be taken into account (and may be treated as if it were a first failure to comply with Chapter 5 Part 4 Division 2).\nNote—\nA complaint alleging repeated misbehaviour by a member of a council can only be referred to the Behavioural Standards Panel if at least 1 failure by the member to comply with Chapter 5 Part 4 Division 2 of the Act occurred on or after 17 November 2022, being the day on which Chapter 13 Part A1 Division 2 Subdivision 3 was inserted into the Act (see section 147(6) of the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021).\nPart 5—Transitional provisions relating to public consultation\n18—Public consultation\n\t(1)\tA council need not adopt a community engagement policy under section 50A of the Act until 9 months after the prescribed day.\n\t(2)\tUntil the relevant day, a requirement in the Act for a council to undertake public consultation will be taken to be satisfied if the council follows the relevant steps set out in its public consultation policy.\n\t(3)\tIn connection with subregulation (2), the Act, as in force immediately before the prescribed day, will be taken to continue to apply to the extent necessary to give effect to consultation conducted in accordance with a council's public consultation policy.\n\t(4)\tIn this regulation—\nprescribed day means the day on which section 16 of the Amendment Act comes into operation;\npublic consultation policy of a council means the council's public consultation policy that was in effect immediately before the prescribed day;\nrelevant day, in relation to a council, means the day falling 3 months after the council adopts a community engagement policy under section 50A of the Act.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tPlease note—References in the legislation to other legislation or instruments or to titles of bodies or offices are not automatically updated as part of the program for the revision and publication of legislation and therefore may be obsolete.\n\t•\tEarlier versions of these regulations (historical versions) are listed at the end of the legislative history.\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 regulations and variations\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2021\n142\nGazette 16.9.2021 p3567 \n20.9.2021 except Pt 3—10.11.2021: r 2\n2021\n197\nGazette 23.12.2021 p4638\n6.1.2022 except r 5—30.6.2022: r 2\n2022\n98\nGazette 17.11.2022 p6649\n17.11.2022: r 2\n2025\n140\nGazette 11.12.2025 p4833\n11.12.2025: r 2\nProvisions varied\nNew entries appear in bold.\nEntries that relate to provisions that have been deleted appear in italics.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\nPt 1\n\n\nr 2\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n6.1.2022\nPt 3\n\n\nr 8\nvaried by 197/2021 r 4\n6.1.2022\n\ndeleted by 140/2025 r 3\n11.12.2025\nr 11\n\n\nr 11(2)\namended by 98/2022 r 3\n17.11.2022\nr 11A\ninserted by 197/2021 r 5\n30.6.2022\nrr 13—15\ninserted by 197/2021 r 6\n6.1.2022\nPt 4\ninserted by 98/2022 r 4\n17.11.2022\nPt 5\ninserted by 140/2025 r 4\n11.12.2025\nHistorical versions\n6.1.2022\n\n30.6.2022\n\n17.11.2022\n\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"These regulations remain transitional in purpose: they manage timing and the application of the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021 rather than creating new substantive policy. Over time the instrument has been expanded to cover additional transitional topics (notably behavioural management policies and public consultation — Parts 4 and 5 were inserted in 2022 and 2025 respectively, per the legislative history). Those insertions broaden the range of transitional matters covered, but they do not change the core function of the instrument, which is to preserve continuity and specify when the Amendment Act’s provisions take effect."},"complexity_factors":["Numerous cross‑references to specific provisions of the Local Government Act 1999 and the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021 (e.g. s97, s98, s122, s184, s270) increasing interpretive load","Multiple temporal conditions and staged commencements (different provisions commence on different dates; many rules apply only if an event occurred before a specific commencement date)","Nested exceptions and non‑application clauses (e.g. subregs preserving old law where notices/applications/contracts pre‑date commencement)","Several defined or context‑specific terms introduced only for transitional use (e.g. designated day, prescribed day, LGA's model behavioural management policy, relevant council), requiring cross‑checking","Parts added over time (Parts 4 and 5 inserted after initial making), so readers must track legislative history to know which transitional rules are current","Mixed subject matter across governance, finance, elections, conduct and public consultation—requires consulting multiple provisions of the principal Act and the Amendment Act to understand practical effect","Some provisions create deeming/interpretive rules (e.g. treating references to a behavioural policy as references to the LGA model) which change how other instruments operate without changing their text"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument is and what it does (mechanically)**\n\n- These regulations are transitional rules that sit alongside the Local Government Act 1999 to manage how changes made by the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021 (the Amendment Act) take effect. They do not rewrite the substantive law; they say when and how the new rules apply to existing situations and ongoing processes.\n\n- The regulations:\n  - Deem or delay the operation of specific new provisions so that the old rules continue to apply in particular circumstances (for example, sales of land, by‑laws, reviews already started, and CEO appointment/termination matters) (see regs 4, 9–11, 15).\n  - Preserve existing permits, contracts and processes for their stated terms (for example, mobile food vending permits and existing auditor contracts) (see reg 5 and reg 15).\n  - Specify the dates from which certain election counting or timing changes apply (regs 7 and 12).\n  - Allow councils to continue using existing public consultation arrangements for a limited period and delay the requirement to adopt new engagement policies (reg 18).\n  - Provide temporary rules about behavioural management policies for councillors, including treating the LGA’s model policy as the default until a council formally adopts its own policy and allowing councils extra time before adoption (reg 16).\n  - Provide how earlier conduct under an old code may be treated when deciding whether a councillor’s conduct counts as “repeated misbehaviour” under the new rules (reg 17).\n  - Modify how new financial reporting or funding‑plan information requirements are to be satisfied until certain new sections commence (reg 13).\n  - Allow continuity of audit and audit‑committee membership where new composition rules would otherwise bite immediately (reg 14).\n\n**Who is affected**\n\n- Councils and council staff (including chief executive officers): timing and procedural requirements about appointments, terminations, reviews, by‑laws, financial reporting and governance committees are adjusted (regs 9–15).\n- Elected members (mayors, principals, councillors): transitional arrangements for how principal members are chosen and how behavioural rules are applied (regs 11A, 16–17).\n- Mobile food vendors and small businesses: existing permits and in‑progress reviews with the Small Business Commissioner are preserved (reg 5).\n- Auditors and firms under existing contracts: existing contracts are allowed to run their term before new procurement/compliance rules apply (reg 15).\n- Residents and voters: timing of electoral changes and public consultation obligations are clarified or deferred (regs 7, 12, 18).\n- The Local Government Association (LGA): temporarily declared a prescribed body and its model behavioural policy treated as the default until councils adopt their own (reg 16).\n\n**Why this matters (stated purpose and practical effects)**\n\n- The stated purpose is to reduce disruption by ensuring ongoing activities are not suddenly invalidated when the Amendment Act’s provisions commence. Mechanically, this is achieved by:\n  - carving out exceptions where an event (e.g. notice given, application lodged, contract entered) took place before a relevant commencement date; and\n  - prescribing default or interim arrangements (for example, the LGA’s model behavioural policy) until councils adopt their own.\n\n- Practical trade‑offs and implementation consequences to note:\n  - Compliance timing: councils gain temporary relief from new compliance requirements (delays to adopting policies, delayed financial information requirements). That lowers short‑term compliance costs but defers full implementation of the reform measures (reg 13, reg 16, reg 18).\n  - Concentration of influence: while councils have until a designated day to adopt behavioural policies, the LGA’s model policy is the interim default (reg 16). This centralised interim default reduces immediate local drafting burden but gives the LGA’s model practical effect until councils act.\n  - Contract certainty vs. competition: existing auditor contracts and similar arrangements remain effective for their term (reg 15). That protects current contractors and avoids exit costs for councils, but defers opportunities for competitive procurement under new rules.\n  - Legal uncertainty windows: some provisions rely on multiple commencement dates and cross‑references. Parties need to check which regime applies by reference to the exact timing of their events (e.g. when a notice was given, when a vacancy occurred) (see regs 4, 9–12, 18).\n  - Enforcement and retrospective effects: the regulations generally avoid retrospective change to concluded decisions but allow prior conduct under an old code to be counted when assessing repeated misbehaviour under the new code (reg 17). That widens the evidential base for misconduct complaints in certain cases.\n  - Administrative discretion: the Minister can designate the day on which councils must adopt behavioural policies (reg 16), and councils have defined shorter transitional timeframes for public‑consultation policy adoption (reg 18). These time and process choices affect when costs and obligations fall.\n\n**Who pays and who decides (practical allocation of costs and choices)**\n\n- Councils: bear most immediate administrative and compliance costs (preparing new policies, conducting reviews of composition, adapting to new financial reporting requirements) and decide whether to adopt policies earlier than the deadlines. (Regs 11A, 13, 16, 18.)\n- Individual councillors: may face discipline under the new conduct provisions, and earlier conduct under the old code can be counted toward repeated misbehaviour (reg 17).\n- Small businesses and permit holders: largely benefit from continuity of existing permits and reviews (reg 5), so costs of immediate compliance are reduced for them.\n- Minister and statutory bodies (e.g. Remuneration Tribunal, LGA): the Remuneration Tribunal’s determinations and the Minister’s designation days determine effective commencement for some obligations (regs 4, 16).\n\n**How behaviour is likely to change**\n\n- Many councils are likely to defer adopting new policies until the regulationally specified deadlines or the designated day; meanwhile they will operate under existing policies or the LGA model (regs 16, 18).\n- Councils and contractors will continue pre‑existing contractual relationships and processes to the end of their current terms, delaying the full application of new procurement or governance rules (regs 5, 14, 15).\n- Complaints and disciplinary processes may treat prior conduct under the old code as relevant to repeated misbehaviour under the new rules, which may increase the number of conduct matters that proceed (reg 17).\n\n**Key sections to check for specifics**\n- Mobile food vending and Small Business Commissioner reviews: reg 5.\n- CEO appointment/termination and reappointment review timing: reg 9.\n- By‑laws and pre‑existing proposals: reg 10.\n- Review of decisions and in‑progress applications: reg 11.\n- Principal member (mayor) selection timing and composition reviews: reg 11A.\n- Elections timing and counting methods: regs 7 and 12.\n- Financial information/funding plan transitional provision: reg 13.\n- Audit committee membership and auditors under contract: regs 14–15.\n- Behavioural management policies and the LGA model policy as interim default: reg 16.\n- How prior conduct counts toward repeated misbehaviour: reg 17.\n- Public consultation and temporary continuation of existing consultation policies: reg 18.\n\n**Bottom line**\n- These regulations are transitional: they mainly adjust timing, preserve existing permits/contracts/processes, and provide interim defaults so that the machinery of local government continues to operate smoothly while the Amendment Act’s changes come into force. The immediate effect is to reduce short‑term disruption and compliance costs, while deferring full application of some of the Amendment Act’s reforms until specified dates or events (see the cited regulations above)."},"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":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The regulations have grown significantly beyond their original scope. Initially (September 2021), they covered only basic transitional matters like mobile food permits, CEO provisions, and by-laws. Through amendments in December 2021, November 2022, and December 2025, the regulations have expanded to include: behavioural management policies and conduct provisions (Part 4, added November 2022), principal member transition rules for council composition (regulation 11A, added December 2021), audit and risk committee membership (regulations 14-15, added January 2022), and public consultation requirements (Part 5, added December 2025). The original intent was to bridge technical gaps during the Local Government Review Act implementation; the current version now governs substantive ongoing operational matters like councillor conduct, community engagement, and council structure changes that will persist well beyond the immediate transition period."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple staggered commencement dates across Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5, with different provisions applying at different times","Heavy cross-referencing to the Local Government Act 1999 and the Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021 (at least 40+ external section references)","Nested conditional logic in regulation 11A with multiple subparagraphs modifying how section 12 of the Act applies to 'relevant councils'","Defined terms scattered throughout (designated day, relevant council, existing section 249(1)(a), LGA's model behavioural management policy, prescribed day, relevant day, etc.) rather than concentrated in one interpretation section","Complex temporal calculations required (e.g., 'second periodic election held after the commencement of section 17', '3 months after the council adopts a community engagement policy')","Interaction between saved old law and new law creates parallel legal regimes operating simultaneously (e.g., regulation 18(3) preserves old Act provisions for consultation purposes)","Multiple amendments to the regulations themselves shown in legislative history (2021, 2022, 2025), indicating evolving complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations are temporary rules that help South Australian councils switch from the old local government system to the new one created by the *Statutes Amendment (Local Government Review) Act 2021*. Think of them as \"bridge rules\" that prevent chaos while everyone adjusts to the new laws.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Local councils** – all 68 councils in South Australia must follow these rules during the transition period\n- **Council staff** – especially chief executive officers whose employment terms are protected\n- **Elected members** – councillors and mayors, particularly around conduct rules and how they're elected\n- **Ratepayers and residents** – anyone who interacts with council decisions, consultations, or services\n\n**Key things it covers:**\n\n* **Grandfathering protections** – Existing permits (like mobile food vending permits), contracts, and decisions made under old laws remain valid even after the new laws kick in. For example, if a food truck got a permit before the changes, it stays valid.\n\n* **Staggered start dates** – Different rules kick in at different times. Some councils don't have to adopt new behavioural management policies until the Minister says so; others get 9 months to set up community engagement policies.\n\n* **Employment safeguards** – If a council CEO was being sacked for something that happened before the new laws started, the old rules still apply. This stops councils from being caught mid-process by sudden legal changes.\n\n* **Election timing** – New counting methods for elections only apply to elections where voting closes after the new rules start.\n\n* **Conduct and misbehaviour** – Councillors who misbehaved under the old code of conduct can have that counted against them under the new \"repeated misbehaviour\" rules, but only if at least one offence happened after 17 November 2022.\n\n* **Financial and audit continuity** – Existing audit committee members and auditors keep their jobs until their contracts end, even if the new rules would normally disqualify them.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout these transitional rules, councils could face legal limbo – permits might suddenly become invalid, half-finished CEO sackings would need to restart under new rules, and councils wouldn't know which version of the law to follow. These regulations provide certainty during a major overhaul of how local government operates in South Australia."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not available for review. The page returned an error, providing no information about the original intent or any amendments to the regulations."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404 Page Not Found error","Only the title and website navigation elements were present in the provided text","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without the actual regulatory text","Score of 1 reflects absence of analysable content, not simplicity of the underlying law"],"plain_english_summary":"This South Australian regulation appears to set transitional rules for local government—managing the changeover from old to new legal arrangements that affect councils, elected members, staff and ratepayers. The actual regulation text wasn’t retrieved, so check the South Australian legislation website for the full instrument before relying on it."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021","history":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021/history","analysis":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/local-government-transitional-provisions-regulations-2021/documents"}}