From 1 June 2020, some face-to-face civil hearings will resume in the Supreme Court. Criminal jury trials will resume from 29 June 2020 but will require at least two courtrooms each to accommodate social distancing requirements. More here.

The NSW Government is providing support to commercial and residential landlords and their tenants through a $440 million land tax COVID-19 relief scheme. The package allows eligible landlords to apply for land tax relief of up to 25 per cent if they reduce the rent of commercial or residential tenants who are in financial distress due to COVID-19 for any period between 1 April 2020 and 30 September 2020. The rent reduction must be given without any requirement to be paid back at a later date. Further details regarding eligibility, what constitutes financial distress and the application process are available here. 

An information portal to support and guide landlords and tenants through the regulations and how to negotiate rent relief agreements is also available here. 

The Law Society has developed a check list to assist principal practitioners of NSW law practices respond to working conditions around COVID19 which is available on the Law Society’s COVID-19 FAQs page. View here.

NSW Health will provide guidance to ensure that the museums, galleries and libraries operate in a COVID-19 safe way when they reopen from 1 June 2020. More here.

As at 8pm Wednesday 20 May 2020, there were two additional cases of COVID-19 diagnosed since 8pm 19 May, bringing the total number of cases to 3,082. View details here.

The Federal Government has announced an additional $12 million funding to childcare services that have more than 30 per cent of full-time equivalent staff ineligible for JobKeeper payments, and an additional $800,000 to increase the level of funding for in-home care providers. More here.

All members of the profession are welcome to join the NSW Young Lawyers weekly trivia – Happy Hour: Questions of Law – Trivia for Socially Distanced Lawyers. Hosted by The Chaser’s Julian Morrow via Zoom each Friday at 5pm. Find out more.