The Opposition says the South Australian Government has buckled under pressure by asking the Crown Solicitor to review evidence collected during a now-scrapped investigation of a previous Burnside Council.

Local Government Relations Minister Russell Wortley recently abandoned a costly two-year inquiry, arguing it was not in the public interest to keep it going.

But he has now ordered a review of the evidence, saying any criminal matters could be dealt with by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Shadow attorney-general Stephen Wade says the Government has been pressured to do something and rightly so.

"It also has all the hallmarks of a haphazard on-the-run announcement. He failed to mention it in a radio interview before nine o'clock this morning by 11 o'clock we had a formal Government announcement that matters would be referred," he said.

"The Government has so badly mismanaged the Burnside allegations since 2008 and it seems to be continuing."

Earlier, Mr Wortley told ABC Radio he did not need to read the report on Burnside Council before deciding if changes were needed to the Local Government Act.

After court proceedings, its contents remain suppressed.

Mr Wortley admitted he had not read the document and was taking advice on its content from the Crown Solicitor's office.

"Arising out of the ashes of this investigation there is some good news. We have been working with the Local Government Association over the last couple of weeks and we are going to identify areas of the Local Government Act which need to be addressed," he said.

Burnside mayor David Parkin says he is glad the review has been ordered, but the new council is nothing like the old one.

"I think the ratepayers are sufficiently sophisticated to understand that this is the former Burnside Council and all history but because I say it's history it doesn't mean it shouldn't be exposed," he said.

A former councillor, Rob Gilbert, says an independent organisation rather than the Crown Solicitor should review evidence.

"The reality is handing it back to the Crown Law office is a little bit like taking coal to Newcastle. What it needs is an investigation to review the evidence that's been put forward by some independent body, an ICAC would be good," he said.