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If you want to receive regular updates for NSW then you can join our mailing list by clicking here - you will automatically get the last email sent to the NSW subscriber group.
Queensland border to close to NSW and ACT
It has just been announced this morning that Queensland (3 Aug) will close its border to all of NSW and the ACT from 1:00am on Saturday 8 August 2020.
Queenslanders who return after travelling there will be sent to mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
All visitors will be denied entry except for rare exemptions. Read more about that here.
Changes to defamation law in NSW
The NSW Lower House has passed changes to defamation laws today, and the matter is now before the Upper House. The changes protect large businesses (like Facebook) but it is not known yet when protections for people who use Facebook will be made (for instance to protect you from responsibilitiy for something that someone says in your group, or in comments on your page). Here is the relevent link from the NSW Leiglsation website.
Toronto Courthouse
A member of Torono Courthouse has tested positive for COVID-19 and the Courthouse was closed on Monday for cleaning. Toronto is a suburb in Lake Macquarie. You can read more about that here.
Domestic violence funding boost
Mark Speakman has announced a $3 million funding boost to help perpetrators of domestic violence in NSW, though as the services are provided via telephone they could be for anyone in the country. Of note, in the news story the man who is accessing the service is a father who says he has full time care of two girls. You can watch that news story here.
Wearing a mask
There has been a lot of talk about wearing masks though it is not yet compulsory. From 24 July 2020 all patients and visitors over the age of 12 need to wear a mask in NSW Hospitals and if they don't have one, one will be provided. The Premier did make a further 'strong recommendation' this weekend for people to wear masks in certain circumstances. Woolworths are highly recommending but not requiring masks in NSW, ACT and Qld from 3 August.
Do algorithms need legislation?
Dubbed as the "first in the world", the Algorithm Charter for Aotearoa New Zealand, according to Minister for Statistics James Shaw, will improve data transparency and accountability, especially when algorithms are being used to process and interpret large amounts of data.
"Using algorithms to analyse data and inform decisions does not come without its risks," he said. The charter has so far been signed by 21 agencies, including The Ministry of Justice.
Have you heard about our webinar next week? It is a free webinar on superannuation and family law covering basic issues, like what do do with those questions in the Application for Consent Orders, contemporary issues like COVID superannuation withdrawals, and ongoing difficulties like whether to take pre-relationship superannuation balances back out of the funds available for distribution.
You can register for the webinar using the form below. If you are not available next Monday but you would like to receive a free video recording of the webinar then you can register for that here.