The signing of key legal documents including wills, powers of attorney and statutory declarations will now be able to witnessed in NSW using video technology, following the passing of an emergency regulation under section 17 of the Electronic Transactions Act. The Law Society of NSW has welcomed the announcement.

NSW Young Lawyers is delighted to announce a brand-new initiative to keep you smiling on a Friday arvo: ‘Happy Hour: Questions of Law – Trivia for Socially Distanced Lawyers’ hosted by the Chaser’s Julian Morrow. All Law Society and NSWYL members welcome to join. Learn more.

The ACCC has granted interim authorisation allowing retailers to collectively bargain with landlords about rent relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

The Australian Tax Office is working closely with super funds to enable them to process payments to their members as quickly as possible, and the implementation of the early access to superannuation for those financially affected by COVID-19 is progressing well.  Read more here.

NSW recorded five new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 2,976. Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said the small number of cases was a positive result, given more than 5,600 tests were conducted. Read details here.

Public hearings of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess cruise ship continued in Sydney today. Commissioner for the inquiry, Bret Walker SC, will report back to the NSW government in three to four months.

Domestic violence assaults recorded by NSW police did not increase in March 2020, despite social distancing measures commencing halfway through that month. More details here.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today the government is likely to make changes in three weeks to baseline COVID-19 restrictions. The PM said data from the federal government's coronavirus contact tracing app will not be accessed in any way by federal agencies. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said 900,000 businesses have registered interest in JobKeeper while 275,000 businesses have formally applied for JobKeeper. $5.1 billion in stimulus payments have been handed to welfare recipients. The PM will provide new rate-of-transmission data tomorrow. The government will also push for an inquiry into the origins of the pandemic. Chief Medical Officer Dr Brendan Murphy said Australians should not expect international travel to resume for at least three to four months. Read more here.

Eight new professional video conferencing studios have been opened in area 6 of Parklea Correctional Centre to improve scheduling issues. Additional studios will be opened for booking once they are commissioned. Practitioners with a scheduled appointment seeking an earlier time are advised to attempt to book their appointment again. Please remember to cancel any replaced appointments to allow other practitioners to book. For any JUST Connect enquiries please email: justconnect@justice.nsw.gov.au