Council must resolve that the local law be formally advertised. This occurred on Wednesday, 14 December 2022.

The City is now required advertise the proposed local law and seek comments from the community. We need allow a minimum of 6 weeks comments.

Once comments have been received, the City will consider the comments and make a report to Council. If Council adopts the local law, the City will then publish it in the Government Gazette.

The local law is then reviewed by the Delegated Legislation Committee for their final consideration.

This process is likely to take approximately 6 months to complete.

The Bush Fire Brigade Procedures includes detailed procedures including:

• Membership (types, application and approval process, commitment and training requirements, suspension and termination etc.).
• • Bush Fire Brigade Comittees (structure, meetings, function and election etc.).
• • Bush Fire Brigade meetings.

Traditionally a local law for bush fire brigades has included Rules which deal with these administrative governance procedures.
More recent local laws have excluded Rules from their local laws and developed other ways of administering these matters. This enables these matters to be reviewed and amended more quickly enabling local governments to be more responsive to changing requirements.

The purpose of the local law is to provide for the establishment, organisation and maintenance, administration and funding of bush fire brigades.

The effect of the local law is that bush fire brigades will be organised and managed to comply with this local law.

Under the Bush Fires Act 1954 a local government may establish and maintain one or more bush fire brigades for the purpose of carrying out normal brigade activities. The Bush Fires Act 1954 requires a local government to have a local law to regulate a number of matters relating to bush fire brigades.

The City does not currently have a local law for its bush fire brigades. The proposed local law is intended to address this gap.

A copy of the Proposed Local Law and Procedures is available in the document library. These documents may also be inspected in person at the City's Administration Office at 2 Midland Square, Midland and any of the City's libraries.