Better protections for landlords and private tenants, and a suite of measures to protect South Australian jobs are among the initiatives that form part of the Government's legislative response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Attorney-General, Vickie Chapman said the measures would be debated when Parliament resumes on Tuesday.
"We have a strong plan to stop the spread of COVID-19 and minimise the impact on our State," Attorney-General Chapman said.
"A legislative response that supports South Australians, protects local jobs and enact measures that keep our state running is an integral part of that.
"This comprehensive package strengthens the powers available to the State Coordinator, taking a stronger approach to enforcing detention orders involving possible cases of COVID-19."
Measures in the Bill include:
- Allowing for the suspension of the requirement for major Government infrastructure projects to wait for a Public Works Committee report, helping support local jobs by minimising delays in starting major works
- Ensuring JobKeeper payments are exempt from payroll tax
- Better protection of both commercial and private residential tenants by measures such as restricting evictions in cases of extreme financial hardship
- Ensuring authorised officers can use reasonable force to detain people under orders made by the Chief Public Medical Officer or directions made by the State Coordinator
- Allow recycling depots to pay container deposits via EFTPOS as well as in cash.
"The Bill also ensures Government officials acting under the direction of the Emergency Management Act are protected from liability, ensuring they can go about their duties freely – an especially important time as we work to contain the spread of COVID-19," Attorney-General Chapman said.
"This will not be our only legislative response, but it is an important step forward for the work that will be done over the coming weeks and months to protect the community, support local jobs and combat the spread of this virus."
