President's column
An unexpected victim of the Covid-19 pandemic, local media, has been crippled in both metro and country locations, with many mastheads suspending printing and standing down staff in the wake of collapsing advertising revenues as businesses cut non-essential expenditure or simply stop trading. The electronic media – free-to-air television and radio – is also under+
Stood-down NSW council workers to be covered by ‘splinter award’
About 80 per cent of NSW’s 128 local councils have signed a workplace deal allowing workers stood down due to Covid-19 service closures to access a job retention allowance of $858.20 a week for up to three months. Under the Local Government (Covid-19) Splinter Award 2020, affected Local Government employees can supplement that allowance from+
Emergency local planning powers enacted in WA, SA
A range of exemptions to local planning requirements have been announced under new state of emergency powers in Western Australia. Amendments to the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 came into effect earlier this month, and give the Minister for Planning, Rita Saffioti, authority to temporarily override requirements and conditions set out in+