Before the country’s snap border closures and lockdowns postponed Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial against our publisher Nine and three journalists for at least four weeks, they had emptied the courtroom. By Tuesday, participants and observers were instead forced to live stream the proceedings.

This time, Sydney’s Federal Court didn’t allow viewers to see who else had signed in, avoiding a repeat of other recent streamed trials where the appearance of amusing nom de plumes kept everyone entertained through the duller moments.