On 22 April 2020, the new Electronic Transactions Amendment (COVID-19 Witnessing of Documents) Regulation 2020 came into effect, allowing for the witnessing of legal documents to be done by audio visual link during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the FAQs sheet on the new provisions, the Law Society has now developed a more detailed guidance paper on the implications of the electronic witnessing provisions. Available here.

The Law Society is working with the NSW Local Court to assist the profession return to work in defended matters as soon as possible. It is in the interests of the Court and solicitors for this to occur. Solicitors should familiarise themselves with the Chief Magistrate’s Memoranda 9, 10 and 11 which are available on the Court website. Read more.

Gyms, barre classes and indoor pools will reopen on 13 June in NSW. However, the number of people attending classes and using indoor pools will be limited to 10 people. More here.

Thousands of extra services have been added to the Sydney public transport network this week to increase the capacity for physical distancing. 3,100 bus services and 250 train services have been added to the Sydney network. More here.

Holidaymakers should expect many more cars on the roads towards the end of the week as greater numbers head north, south and west in the lead up to the June long weekend. More here.

A phone line support service is now available for members of the Law Society experiencing IT issues whilst working remotely during the pandemic. A third-party IT engineer will be available for resolution or support for technical or cyber security issues. 24-hour call back will also be available. The service will operate from 8:30am – 5pm AEST. The number is 1800 996 613. The use of this service is subject to this disclaimer.

Construction will start this year on the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail, locking in thousands of jobs and providing a long-term economic boost to the Western Sydney and New South Wales economies during the COVID-19 recovery. More here.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed that, on the basis of advice he has received from the Treasury Department, Australia is in recession. The Australian Gross Domestic Product fell 0.3 per cent in seasonally adjusted, chain volume terms in the March quarter 2020 and growth slowed to 1.4 per cent through the year, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today. More here.

Mutual obligation requirements for job seekers will recommence, in a limited capacity, from Tuesday 9 June 2020. From this date, job seekers will be required to undertake at least one appointment with their employment services provider, which can be done online or over the phone. More here.

The instrument forms part of the JobKeeper scheme framework and ensures employers are not subject to additional superannuation guarantee obligations as a result of their participation in the JobKeeper scheme. More here.

The Morrison Government has appointed former West Australian Under Treasurer, Tim Marney, to help lead its efforts to regrow jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic following an IR roundtable meeting in Sydney. Mr Marney will serve as deputy chair of the five industrial relations working groups, which will be chaired by the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Christian Porter. More here. 

The terms of reference for the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs Parliamentary inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence will include the impact of COVID-19, including health requirements such as staying at home, on the prevalence of domestic violence and provision of support services. More here.