Hundreds of former and current police officers and staff members have launched a class action lawsuit against the state government and the Queensland Police Service, over its COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court in Brisbane today, is being funded by billionaire Clive Palmer.
It comes after the Queensland Supreme Court ruled that COVID-19 mandates breached the human rights laws of some frontline workers.
In his written decision in February, Justice Glenn Martin ruled the directives breached section 58 of the Human Rights Act, which stated that all public service employees must give proper consideration to human rights before making a decision, and that they must act and make decisions that are compatible with human rights.
However, Justice Martin did not find mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations were contrary to the HRA, but that the directions were issued unlawfully.
Mr Palmer had also confirmed he funded that legal action at the time, which he said cost between $2-3 million.
It’s not known how much supporting this lawsuit has cost the mining magnate.
Solicitor, Justin Sibley, who is leading the class action, said the COVID vaccine mandates were “coercive,” and limited officers’ human rights.
“What we’re saying is that the coercive mandates were put in by the commissioner of police,” Mr Sibley said.
“Which created terrible duress and influence on the police officers and staff members, to try and coerce them into being vaccinated, and has caused damage to them as a result.”
He said there were three groups within the class action, spearheaded by three plaintiffs.
One group complied with vaccine mandates, the second sought medical exemptions but were denied and were then vaccinated, and the third group did not get vaccinated and were suspended or terminated.
Mr Sibley said some of those who did not get vaccinated went without pay for more than two years, and have suffered as a result.
“What will be alleged in the class action is that Katarina Carroll not only failed to properly consider human rights, but she also unreasonably limited those humans rights,” Mr Sibley said.
Former specialist police officer and senior constable Luke Jones, 30, said he was suspended without pay from his job in Cairns in 2021, and was sacked earlier this year for refusing to be vaccinated.
Mr Jones said he had lost more than $400,000 in wages and super, but the emotional toll had been the hardest.
“The job role that I was in, it was going after some of the most notorious, dangerous people on the street and that’s where I felt I could make the biggest impact,” he said.
“It was my dream job. I worked very hard for that and to have that stripped away from me, so suddenly out of nowhere, I struggled with identity after that for a long time, because I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to do.”
