From this Monday 1 June, jury trials will resume on a limited basis in the Sydney District Court, Parramatta District Court and the Newcastle District Court. Personal appearances will be permitted for contested hearings where parties and witnesses are to be called to give evidence. Lawyers are not obliged to attend court in person. The Court continues to encourage lawyers to use the virtual courtroom. More here.

Some face-to-face civil hearings, with limited parties, witnesses and legal representatives, will recommence in the Supreme Court from this Monday 1 June 2020. Criminal jury trials will resume from 29 June. More info here.

The High Court, which has been delivering judgments and deal with special leave applications and hearings by video link since April, has four full court cases scheduled for hearing from Tuesday 5 June 2020. Counsel can still appear by video link but need to observe the protocol for remote hearings. View here.

The State Insurance Regulatory Authority has issued a new Motor Accidents Bulletin providing information about important scheme updates, including in relation to the launch of the new digital disputes portal for motor accidents disputes and eligibility requirements for the JobCover6 program. Access here.

Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) is exploring the option of continuing to use AVL technology for family visits post-COVID-19, to minimise the number of people entering its facilities. CSNSW has facilitated more than 16,000 video visits between inmates and their families after face-to-face contact was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions. Read more here.

From 1 June 2020, pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants can have up to 50 customers, subject to a one person per four square metre rule, and with strict social distancing guidelines, regional travel within NSW is allowed and museums, galleries and libraries will open along with beauty and nail salons.  Restrictions have also lifted for weddings, funerals and places of worship. More here.

More than 100,00 people have enrolled in the NSW Government’s fee-free TAFE NSW short courses since they were introduced in April 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the 21 fee-free courses, visit TAFE NSW.

Following today’s meeting of National Cabinet, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an historic National Federation Reform that will see COAG replaced by National Cabinet. Creating jobs will drive the new National Cabinet agenda. The PM also announced a new five-year $131.4 billion National Health Reform Agreement between the states, territories and Commonwealth to ensure sustainability of the health system, now and in the future. More here.  

The Morrison Government will temporarily amend the continuous disclosure provisions that apply to companies and their officers to enable them to more confidently provide guidance to the market during the Coronavirus crisis. Read more here.

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows three in four parents kept their children home from school or childcare due to COVID-19. The fourth Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey also found that many of these parents made changes to their work arrangements to care for their children. More here.

AUSTRAC has announced changes to the AML/CTF customer ID and verification Rule to help people experiencing family and domestic violence. The changes will give bank staff the flexibility to use alternative methods for verifying a customer’s identity for those experiencing family domestic violence while still maintaining due diligence processes. More here.

Australia’s only national Aboriginal-led justice coalition, Change the Record, has released a new report which examines how Indigenous groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 policies concerning prisons and youth detention centres, family and domestic violence, and the policing of public health regulations. “Critical Condition: The impact of COVID-19 policies, policing and prisons on First Nations communities” is available here.

Seven in 10 businesses (72 per cent) have had a decrease in revenue as a result of COVID-19, according to results from the fourth Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey on Business Impacts of COVID-19. Read more here.

Government measures to arrest the economic impact of COVID-19 have helped stop further job losses and declines in working hours according to new analysis from The Australian National University. The ANU analysis builds on a first-of-its-kind longitudinal ANU survey in April, which showed more than 670,000 Australians had lost their jobs due to the crisis – an unprecedented drop in employment. More here.