Legislation has been passed in Parliament extending the arrangements introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic for the witnessing of important legal documents such as wills, powers of attorney and statutory declarations by audio visual link (AVL). The remote witnessing of documents can now continue via AVL until the end of 2021. More information in the Law Society’s FAQs and Guidance Paper. 

Twelve new cases of COVID-19 in NSW were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Of the 12 new cases, four are returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine and eight are locally acquired (three of these cases were announced to the public yesterday, and are included in today’s numbers). Locations with reported cases, areas and suburbs with increased testing and other NSW Health information is available here.

Public servants across the NSW Government will begin returning to work in the office in coming weeks as part of a COVID Safe transition. Flexible working arrangements, including staggered start and finish times, will be in place to allow as many workers to return to their offices in a COVID Safe manner, providing a major boost for the Sydney economy. More here.

Employees and employers across NSW whose mental health has been impacted by the onset of COVID-19 are being encouraged to take part in a community consultation that will help drive how the NSW Government supports people when they need help most. In order to hear from as many people as possible, the NSW Government has also launched an innovative new online community engagement tool where people can provide feedback through a range of easy-to-use methods such as quick polls, an online survey, and a digital ideas board. Access the survey here.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan for Australia will create jobs, rebuild our economy and secure Australia’s future. The Treasurer says since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has provided $257 billion in direct economic support to cushion the blow and strengthen the recovery. The 2020-21 Budget commits a further $98 billion, including $25 billion in direct COVID-19 response measures and $74 billion in new measures to create jobs. View the Budget Overview here.

As part of Australia’s Economic Recovery Plan, the Morrison Government is providing additional support for Australia’s legal system to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and to support those using the courts to resolve their matters as quickly and efficiently as possible. The 2020-21 Budget measures include an additional $87.3 million for family law services that help families going through a separation to resolve matters without having to go to court. More here.

The Law Council of Australia applauds the Government's material injection of $35.7 million, over four years, for resourcing and judicial numbers in the Federal Circuit Court, and acknowledges the overall investment of a projected $132.1 million, aimed at expediting the handling of family law and other matters over the same period. This funding follows repeated calls from the Law Council for additional judicial resourcing, to improve outcomes for Australian families and migration applicants. More here.

On 24 September 2020, the Federal Government announced changes to Australia’s insolvency framework. The changes will introduce new processes suitable for small businesses, reducing complexity, time and costs for small businesses. The changes will enable more Australian small businesses to quickly restructure. Where restructure is not possible, businesses will be able to wind up faster, enabling greater returns for creditors and employees. More here.

In accordance with longstanding practice, the ATO will publish updated tax withholding schedules as soon as possible after bipartisan support has been confirmed for the Treasury Laws Amendment (A Tax Plan For The COVID-19 Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 containing the amendments to bring forward the announced tax cuts. The ATO will publish the updated tax withholding schedules at ato.gov.au/taxtables. Employers may need a short time to make the changes in their payroll processes and systems in order for the tax cuts to be reflected in people’s take home pay. More here.