Werriwa eNewsletter

01 May 2020

Welcome to this week’s newsletter, I hope you and your family are keeping well.

The commemoration of ANZAC Day around the country last Saturday was particularly heart-warming. It showed that, even apart, we have a wonderful community that acknowledges the service of our veterans and their contributions. Further, it ensures we all work to keep peace and find other solutions to conflict. I was honoured to join my community in the driveway on Saturday morning.

The NSW Government has announced that from today, Friday 1 May, some restrictions have been eased regarding visiting other households. It is imperative that if you have any Coronavirus symptoms you should seek medical advice and isolate until you are given the all clear. Please contact your doctor or the Coronavirus hotline for more information.

If you do not need to do something essential, please continue to follow advice and stay home. While the fall in new cases is encouraging, now is not the time to be complacent and undo all the good work.

Changes to announced Government programs and services are continuing, I have included links so you can ensure you are up to date. Also in this newsletter, there is information about the new guidelines for accessing a Justice of the Peace if you require documents witnessed.

Do you have any questions, feedback or suggestions for this newsletter? Please email them to Anne.Stanley.MP@aph.gov.au . I would love to hear from you. Keep safe.

Kind Regards
Anne

COVIDSafe app

The Australian Government's COVIDSafe tracing app can have a valuable role to play in overcoming the Coronavirus and I welcome its launch.

However, the Government needs to be very clear about what privacy protections are in place and  there must be certainty that any information collected by authorities:

• will only be used for its purpose - contact tracing
• have watertight laws prohibiting the use of that information for any other purpose, and
• ensure once the crisis is over, all information collected is deleted.

I await the Government's draft legislation and stand ready to work with the Government on any measure that can keep more Australians safe from Coronavirus.

Changes to restrictions on visitors to your home

From today, Friday 1 May, up to 2 adults and their dependent children will be allowed to visit another household.

Although restrictions have been reduced, everyone must still adhere to all public health orders. These include practising social distancing and good hygiene. For further information on what you can and can’t do under the public health orders, click here.

Visiting Aged Care facilities

Before planning a visit to a residential aged care facility, it is advisable that family members, loved ones or carers contact the service provider and have a chat about the visiting arrangements that are now in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

If the family, loved one or carer is worried or concerned about the response from the service provider or about the care their loved one may or may not be receiving, they should contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) on 1800 951 822 or online at www.agedcarequality.gov.au.

The ACQSC is an independent agency and is responsible for all residential aged care facilities delivering on a range of standards that includes the care and safety of all residents. There is a complaints process that is part of the Commission’s responsibilities.

After 1 May, 2020 the Government regulations in relation to restrictions on entry into residential aged care facilities will also require all visitors to have received a flu vaccine.

Extension and changes to JobKeeper

The Commissioner of Taxation has extended the period to enrol for JobKeeper, from 30 April 2020 to 31 May 2020. This means the JobKeeper payments for the month of April will be reimbursed for businesses who register before 31 May 2020. However, the $1,500 payment each fortnight must still be made by the end of April.

Other recent changes to JobKeeper include:

• Employers who participate must include all eligible employees in the program
• Charities will be allowed to exclude government revenue from the turnover test
• Full time students aged 16 and 17 years old who are not financially independent will be excluded.

A breakdown of these recent changes can be found here.

Justice of the Peace services

The NSW Government has introduced new regulations that enable legal documents to be witnessed remotely by an authorised witness, including NSW Justices of the Peace.

These regulations are temporary and will be in effect for no more than six months and will expire on 26 September 2020, unless the date is submitted to further change. Please find all information and FAQs regarding the new JP regulations here.

Back to school information

The NSW Government has introduced a phased operating model which seeks to reintroduce some face-to-face learning on campus starting in Week 3 of Term 2.

Schools began operating again this week online, with face-to-face learning to begin Monday 11 May for one day a week.

More information will become available to parents and students as this new model is implemented during the first two weeks of term. Current information and advice for families regarding the opening of schools can be found here.