Hundreds of police officers launch class action against Queensland government and QPS over COVID-19 vaccine mandates

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 on Friday, 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.

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.

Responding to the news that the class action had been filed, Premier Steven Miles said the vaccine mandate was “incredibly important at the time.”

“It’s what allowed us to reach the point where we could stop doing the lockdowns, when we could get the borders open,” he said.

“Obviously, those individuals have their own legal rights, and they’re welcome to pursue them.”

In a statement the Queensland Police Service said it couldn’t comment on current legal proceedings but said it recognised members who complied with the former commissioner’s directions to “support the safety of the Queensland community”.

“The court was very clear that this finding did not mean the directions were invalid,” the spokesperson said.

“The court also found that, on a proper consideration of human rights, the requirement to be vaccinated was reasonable in the context of a global pandemic. 

“Some employees who were suspended for non-compliance with the directions have returned to work following the revocation of their suspensions.”