{"id":"tas:sr-2020-080","name":"Residential Tenancy (Extension of Emergency Period) Order (No. 3) 2020","slug":"residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"80 of 2020","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":182721,"registerId":"tas-tas:sr-2020-080-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","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 [Residential Tenancy (Extension of Emergency Period) Order (No. 3) 2020](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/sr-2020-080) .","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"### 2 Commencement\n\n> This order takes effect on 2 December 2020.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Extension of emergency period for COVID-19 emergency","content":"### 3 Extension of emergency period for COVID-19 emergency\n\n> The emergency period that was to expire on 1 December 2020 is extended to 31 January 2021.\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 30 November 2020\n\nThis order is administered in the Department of Justice.","sortOrder":2}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"medium","reasoning":"A file modified on 30 November 2020 cannot logically be the authoritative source for a version that commences on 2 December 2020. The modification predates the commencement, raising questions about whether the published text actually reflects the instrument as it stood at commencement, or whether it was pre-modified in anticipation — neither of which is a sound legislative practice.","confidence":0.72,"description":"The legislation states it is 'current from 2 December 2020 to date' while also indicating it was accessed on 5 April 2026, yet the file was last modified 30 November 2020 — two days before the stated currency commencement date."},{"type":"impossible_compliance","section":"Title / Numbering - 'Order (No. 3) 2020'","severity":"high","reasoning":"The document as published contains only metadata, status information, and repeated header text. There are no operative clauses defining the extended emergency period, its duration, or its effect. A statutory instrument with no operative provisions cannot legally do anything it purports to do.","confidence":0.68,"description":"The instrument purports to extend an 'emergency period' as the third such order in 2020, yet the substantive operative provisions are entirely absent from the published text. An Order that nominally extends legal rights and obligations but contains no discernible operative content is a logical absurdity — it cannot be complied with, applied, or interpreted."},{"type":"other","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"medium","reasoning":"Emergency period extension orders are designed to be short-term measures. An instrument of this nature persisting as operative law for 5+ years without amendment or repeal either indicates it has been overtaken by events with no formal repeal (poor legislative hygiene) or that the currency date notation is misleading as to the instrument's actual practical effect.","confidence":0.65,"description":"The instrument is described as 'current to date' as of 5 April 2026 — over five years after a COVID-19 emergency period extension order made in 2020. An emergency instrument remaining 'current' for over five years without apparent substantive amendment contradicts the temporal logic of emergency legislation, which by definition should be limited in duration."}],"contradictions":[{"severity":"medium","section_a":"Authorisation — 'File last modified 30 November 2020'","section_b":"Currency of version — 'Version current from 2 December 2020'","confidence":0.74,"description":"The authoritative file is recorded as last modified on 30 November 2020, yet the version currency commences 2 December 2020. The document purporting to govern the period from 2 December 2020 was finalised before that period began, creating an internal contradiction between the authorisation date and the commencement date."},{"severity":"low","section_a":"Title — 'Residential Tenancy (Extension of Emergency Period) Order (No. 3) 2020'","section_b":"Status Information — 'Version current from 2 December 2020 to date (accessed 5 April 2026)'","confidence":0.6,"description":"The instrument is styled as an emergency measure made in 2020, yet it remains on the books as current law as of April 2026 with no visible repeal or sunset clause operative within the published text. This contradicts the fundamental character of emergency legislation as temporary, creating a logical tension between the instrument's stated nature and its apparent indefinite operation."}]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function its title suggests: extending an emergency period. There is no scope creep; it is a narrow, time-limited administrative adjustment."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: only 3 operative sections","No defined terms in the instrument itself (relies on external definitions from the parent Act)","No cross-references to other legislation within the operative provisions","Single, straightforward operative provision: a simple date extension","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short, technical order that extends special COVID-19 protections for renters in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). \n\n**What it does:**\n- Extends the \"emergency period\" for residential tenancy laws from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021.\n\n**What this means in practice:**\nDuring an \"emergency period,\" landlords typically face restrictions on evicting tenants or raising rents—measures designed to protect renters who lost income due to the pandemic. This order simply keeps those protections in place for an extra two months.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Tenants** in the ACT who are relying on COVID-19 rental protections\n- **Landlords** in the ACT who must continue to comply with modified tenancy rules\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this extension, emergency tenancy protections would have expired on 1 December 2020. This gives vulnerable renters continued breathing room during the pandemic recovery period."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This order does not appear to expand or narrow the scope of the original emergency tenancy protections — it simply extends the duration of the existing emergency period for a third time. The intent (COVID-19 rental relief in Tasmania) remains unchanged."},"complexity_factors":["The order itself is administratively simple — it does one thing: extend an existing period","Complexity arises indirectly because you need to understand the parent legislation (the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 and earlier COVID emergency orders) to fully grasp the practical effect","The provided text is heavily duplicated and offers minimal substantive content, making it difficult to confirm precise dates or mechanisms","No novel legal concepts are introduced"],"plain_english_summary":"This Tasmanian government order extends the residential tenancy \"emergency period\" for a third time in 2020, continuing temporary COVID-19 protections for tenants and landlords. \n\nPractically, it keeps special rules—such as limits on evictions for rent hardship—in force until at least 2 December 2020, delaying a return to normal tenancy law."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument solely changes the temporal scope: it extends the emergency period that would have expired on 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021 (clause 3) and commences on 2 December 2020 (clause 2). It does not itself alter substantive tenancy measures or introduce new obligations."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative change: one provision extends the emergency period end date (clause 3).","Temporal modification only — no substantive or procedural amendments to underlying tenancy rules are made in this instrument.","Clear commencement date distinct from effective extension date (clause 2).","Relies on prior instruments/definitions of the 'emergency period' for substantive scope (implicit dependence on earlier orders).","Administrative detail minimal but identifies responsible department (Department of Justice) and Gazette notification date."],"plain_english_summary":"This order pushes the residential-tenancy COVID-19 emergency period — which would have ended on 1 December 2020 — out to 31 January 2021. It takes effect on 2 December 2020 and is administered by the Department of Justice. It mechanically extends the time during which existing emergency tenancy arrangements (as previously declared) remain in force, affecting parties subject to those emergency tenancy rules (landlords, tenants and administrators)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020","history":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/residential-tenancy-extension-of-emergency-period-order-no-3-2020/documents"}}