Following the suspension of visits in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Corrective Services NSW identified an increase in attempts to introduce contraband via mail, including mail purporting to be privileged mail. To address this Corrective Services NSW has reinforced it’s inmate mail policy in relation to privileged mail. Privileged mail sent to an inmate in a correctional centre must be:

• in a letter or parcel addressed to the Governor;  and 
• have a note or stamp that states the mail is not to be opened, inspected or read by any person other than the inmate.

Privileged mail that does not comply with the above two requirements will be treated as standard inmate mail, which will be opened, photocopied and a colour photocopy will be provided to the inmate. The original will be placed in a secure bin or shredded. Privileged mail may be sent from exempt bodies or persons in a bundle, however, a separate cover note for each inmate must be provided to the Governor. All privileged mail will be examined externally to determine if it has been tampered with, where it appears mail has been tampered with, the inmate may be required to open the sealed letter or parcel in the presence of the Governor or nominated officer.  The Governor or nominated officer must not read the mail during the inspection. Where the inspection confirms the mail has been tampered with, the Governor or nominated officer will contact the purported sender to confirm whether they sent the mail. The prohibited goods may be confiscated.

The Law Society is seeking the views of members on membership fees and what they value most about being a Law Society member. The membership fee survey follows the decision to reduce 2020/21 membership fees as a one-off measure to help alleviate some of the financial pressure caused by COVID-19 restrictions. The 15-minute, anonymous survey is being administered by an independent research company on behalf of the Law Society of NSW. Members who complete the survey can enter a prize draw for the chance to win one of two $450 Coles Myer gift cards (terms and conditions apply). Members should check their email inbox for their invitation.

No new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night in NSW. There were five cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. It’s the fifth consecutive day of zero locally transmitted cases of COVID-19. More here.

More than 18,500 western Sydney residents are being urged to get tested for COVID-19 following the discovery of virus fragments in sewage at two local sewage pumping stations serving the suburbs of North Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Box Hill, The Ponds, Kellyville Ridge, Parklea, Quakers Hill and Acacia Gardens. Read more.

Physical distancing and passenger occupancy notifications will be available for customers using the Opal Travel app for trips on Sydney Trains and Metro, with Sydney Light Rail, Bus and Ferry to follow. The app will proactively identify common journeys made by customers,  track trip information and send alerts based on capacity levels for those specific services, all ahead of time. More here.

When NSW Government reopen its border to Victoria at 12.01am on Monday, 23 November 2020, NSW will be open to all states and territories. More information on current domestic travel restrictions within Australia is available here.

On 23 November 2020, digital registrations such as QR code check-ins, will be mandatory at hospitality venues across NSW. More here.

The Federal Government will extend temporary support through the social security system, for those Australians seeking work, for a further three months as economic confidence and momentum builds. Both existing and new JobSeekers will be paid the Coronavirus Supplement at a rate of $150 per fortnight from 1 January 2021 through to 31 March 2021 on top of their base rate of payment and other supplements they are eligible to receive. More here.

Legislation to establish the JobMaker Hiring Credit has been passed in Parliament, giving businesses access to up to $200 per week for each eligible employee. The JobMaker Hiring Credit is a fixed amount of $200 per week for an eligible employee aged 16 to 29 years and $100 per week for an eligible employee aged 30 to 35 years paid quarterly in arrears by the Australian Taxation Office. More here.

The Morrison Government has today introduced legislation into the Parliament to progress significant changes to Australia’s insolvency framework. The reforms will reposition the insolvency system to help more small businesses restructure and survive the economic impact of COVID-19. As part of these changes, a new debt restructuring process will be introduced for incorporated businesses with liabilities of less than $1 million, drawing on some key features of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy model in the United States. More here.