In brief - Expect new powers in planning and environmental
laws
It is likely that the fear associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
will lead to new government powers as we have now seen with the
Public Health (COVID-19 Public Events) Order 2020 in New South
Wales. That Order criminalises certain public events where there
are, or are likely to be, more than 500 people in attendance.
We see fear transposed into power regularly in our planning and
environment laws. The fear of certain types of development leads to
the exercise of government power curbing the extent to which one
can use land, the conditions within which works can occur on land,
and ultimately the design of the finished development itself.
