The Local Government Acts stipulate that a local government must advise the public that a local law has been made by publishing a notice in the Queensland Government Gazette and on the council website. Each local government must also ensure and advise that a copy of the local law is available for inspection and purchase at their public office.
Legislative requirement to notify the public and Minister
Section 29B of the Local Government Act 2009, and section 32 of the City of Brisbane Act 2010, set out the requirements for publication of local laws by local governments.
Queensland Government Gazette notice
The gazette notice must be published within one month after the day the local government resolved to make the local law and must state the:
- name of the local government
- date when the local government made the resolution to make the local law
- name of the local law
- name of any existing local law that was amended or repealed by the new local law.
Council website notice
This notice must also be published within one month after the day the local government resolved to make the local law. However, it is not a mere replica of the gazette notice and must provide additional information as outlined below:
- name of the local government
- date when the local government made the resolution to make the local law
- name of the local law
- name of any existing local law that was amended or repealed by the new local law
- if the local law incorporates a model local law - that fact
- if the local law is an interim local law - that fact, and the date on which the interim local law expires
- if the local law is a subordinate local law - the name of the local law that authorises the subordinate local law to be made
- the purpose and general effect of the local law
- if the local law contains an anti-competitive provision - that fact
- that a copy of the local law can be inspected and purchased at the local government's public office and viewed on the department's website.
Notifying the Minister for Local Government
The local government must, within 14 days of the local law's publication in the Queensland Government gazette, give the Minister a copy of the:
- gazette notice
- local law in electronic form.
Local law registers
Local government registers
Each local government must keep and maintain a register of all their local laws available for public inspection both on their website and at their public office. The local law register must contain, for each local law, its:
- name
- purpose
- general effect.
Legislative requirements are outlined in:
- section 31 of the Local Government Act 2009 and section 14 of the Local Government Regulation 2012
- section 34 of the City of Brisbane Act 2010 and section 11 of the City of Brisbane Regulation 2012.
Department of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience database
The department must also keep a local laws database of Queensland local governments' local laws and ensure that a copy is publicly accessible on the department's website.