Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial has been thrown into chaos by state border restrictions and the "rapidly evolving" COVID-19 situation, a court has heard.
Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is in the witness box for an 11th day on Friday at the Federal Court trial where he's suing three newspapers over claims of war crimes, murder and bullying in Afghanistan.
He is also suing over a claim that he assaulted a woman at a Canberra hotel.
On Friday, the media outlets' barrister, Nicholas Owens SC, told the trial that its plans to call certain witnesses next week had descended into "chaos" due to state border restrictions prompted by coronavirus concerns.
Mr Owens said it was a "very complex and difficult set of circumstances" that was "rapidly evolving" and meant the respondents would have to change witnesses they planned to call next week.
The court heard that four witnesses the respondents had planned to call "are out" due to recently enacted border changes in Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria.
One witness from WA, codenamed Person 40, was prepared to testify in person then spend two weeks in quarantine, but that his legal representation was not prepared to attend on that basis, it heard.
It also heard that, given the issues, Afghan witnesses could be fast-tracked to testify but there were issues getting them to Kandahar and securing the services of a Pashto translator in Canada.
The war hero's barrister Arthur Moses SC said time could be taken next week in "complex arguments" over evidence given the issues with getting witnesses to Sydney.
The former SAS operator's legal team has previously argued that he is the victim of a lying campaign by failed soldiers jealous of his stellar military career.
His legal team argues that Mr Roberts-Smith lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after his reputation was smashed by the media reports and his speaking business "evaporated".
The trial continues before Justice Anthony Besanko.
