NSW recorded nine cases in overseas travellers in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. NSW Health was notified late last night of a new case of COVID-19 in a person who works at a Sydney hotel complex which provides hotel quarantine for returned travellers. This case will be included in tomorrow’s numbers. Five household contacts of the case were identified and all have tested negative for COVID-19. They will self-isolate for 14 days. Staff who worked at the hotel complex whilst the case was potentially infectious are asked to get tested and self-isolate until updated advice is received from NSW Health. As a precaution, NSW Health is also conducting wider testing of staff at the hotel complex. NSW Health has also issued a public health alert after discovery of COVID-19 virus fragments in sewage at the Riverstone treatment plan, prompting renewed calls for residents in a number of suburbs to get tested. More here.

From Monday 7 December 2020, the NSW Government will ease restrictions at a number of venues, replacing the four square metre rule with a two square metre rule. More here.

From 30 June 2019 to 30 June 2020, Australian prisoners decreased by 5 per cent (1,968) to 41,060.  This was the first national decrease since 2011. The imprisonment rate also decreased by 7 per cent from 219 to 202 prisoners per 100,000 adult population. There have been various government restrictions implemented across states and territories as a result of COVID-19 since March 2020. View the stats here.

The Federal Government is extending the HomeBuilder program from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 which is expected to support the construction or major rebuild of around 15,000 homes.  This is in addition to the 27,000 homes the scheme is already expected to support, bringing it to a total of around 42,000 homes across Australia. More here.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australia’s economic recovery is well underway and has been strongly supported by the Morrison Government’s temporary JobKeeper payment. Announced in March 2020, the first phase of JobKeeper supported more than 3.6 million workers and around 1 million businesses, with payments totalling nearly $70 billion for the 13 JobKeeper fortnights to 27 September 2020. Following a re-test of business eligibility for the second phase of JobKeeper, for the two JobKeeper fortnights in October, around 500,000 entities have had applications processed covering more than 1.5 million employees/eligible business participants (ATO data, current as at 26 November 2020).
More here. 

Normal rostered sittings of the Local Court will be suspended on and from Friday 25 December 2020 and recommence on Monday 11 January 2020.

Centralised Bail Courts will operate at Parramatta Local Court via AVL for all matters where Police charge an adult person in the Sydney Metropolitan area and refused bail. The Court will deal with those persons held in custody at the Amber Laurel and Surry Hills Correctional Facilities. There will be no appearances in person. View the the Standard Operating Procedures A and B and the table indicating where the SOPs are applicable for each day of this period.  Arrangements are in place for Legal Aid solicitors to gain access to Parramatta Local Court from 7am to access paperwork and to arrange to interview clients at Amber Laurel and Surry Hills.

Regional Bail Courts will be held at Hunter/North Region (Newcastle, Gosford, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth, Moree, Lismore, Inverell & Ballina), Illawarra/South Region (Wollongong) and West/South West Region (Orange, Dubbo, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Albury and Wagga Wagga). The current operating procedures that apply to weekend bail courts at these locations will apply during this period. A list of regional court locations and arrangements for alternate bail hearings is available here.

Police have advised that should a person attend a police station anywhere in NSW during this period regarding applications to bail they should be asked to call the NSW Courts Service Centre (NSWCSC) on 1300 679 272. Upon receiving a call the NSWCSC will provide assistance and if necessary directly transfer the person to a senior staff member at Parramatta Local Court. In limited circumstances, an authorised justice may grant a bail application after obtaining the consent of the prosecutor. 

Normal rostered sittings of the Children’s Court are suspended from Friday 25 December until Friday 8 January 2021 inclusive. During this period the Children’s Court Parramatta will continue to deal with urgent bail and care proceedings and urgent domestic and personal violence applications. View the Children’s Court Memorandum Sitting Christmas/New Year Arrangements here. 

Bail hearings conducted for young people across NSW during Christmas closedown period from 25 December 2020 to 10 January 2021 inclusive across NSW, will be conducted before a magistrate at Parramatta Children’s Court via AVL from a Youth Justice Centre unless it is impracticable for the person to be transported and detained in a detention centre. View the Christmas Standard Operation Procedure for Children’s Bail Courts here.

Applications for Emergency Care and Protection Orders or applications for care and protection orders where a child has been removed or where care has been assumed are to be lodged by email to Parramatta Children’s Court and listed at Parramatta Children’s Court on a weekday that is not a public holiday during the Christmas/New Year period. View the Children’s Court Care Standard Operation Procedure and Protection Christmas Period info here. 

The District Court summer vacation will commence at the conclusion of sittings on Friday 18 December 2020 and court will resume on Monday 18 January 2021, two weeks earlier than expected. The following exemptions will apply to Sydney District Court which will have one court sitting in the weeks commencing Monday 4 January 2021 and 11 January 2021 and a special fixtures listed to commence at Goulburn on 11 January 2021.

The Parramatta and Hunter Drug Court Registries are open every day with the exception of Christmas Day. The Sydney Drug Court Registry will be closed from Friday 25 December 2020 until Tuesday 29 December 2020 and re-open on Wednesday 30 December 2020 and Thursday 31 December 2021 and closed on New Year’s Day Public Holiday. View the information regarding the Drug Courts’ Christmas/New Year 2020-21 court sitting dates and registry open here.

Parramatta Local Court, Parramatta Children’s Court and Parramatta Drug Court will be open in the metropolitan area. All other registries will be closed to the public subject to the exceptions for the District Court and Drug Court as outlined above.

The NSWCSC will manage telephone calls for registries state wide and will contact a Senior Registry Officer at Parramatta to facilitate urgent police applications, urgent personal and domestic violence applications, applications for variation of bail and urgent civil notices of motions/applications.

The Coroners Court Registry will be open all days except the Public Holidays (Christmas Day 25 December 2020, Boxing Day Holiday Monday 28 December 2020 and New Year’s Day 1 January 2021). During the two week Christmas – New Year period, a duty Senior Coroner will be available during normal business hours at the State Coroner’s Court for all deaths reported in NSW. Any coronial enquiries received by the NSWCSC will be transferred to the Coroners’ Court for response. The Christmas New Year Coronial Arrangements, with reporting procedures for all statewide locations, is available here. 

The Law Society of New South Wales will be closed from Thursday 24 December 2020 through to Friday 8 January 2021. During this period the Law Society will be operating with a skeleton staff who will be servicing a limited number of functions. More here.