More than 3100 law enforcement personnel and staff have signed on to a Clive Palmer-funded class action against the Queensland Police Service over a COVID-era vaccination mandate, with the law firm behind the action making a final appeal for others to join.
Sibley Lawyers director Justin Sibley said there were potentially thousands more who could come forward before the Friday deadline.
Palmer, through his mining company Mineralogy, was funding the class action.
The mandates were a contentious requirement during the pandemic, but health authorities declared them to be scientifically justified.
Unlike many in the community, police officers were considered workers and, as such, were able to move more freely during the COVID lockdowns.
Then-police commissioner Katarina Carroll introduced the mandate in September 2021.
“It is important the Queensland community has confidence and feel safe when interacting with their police.”
When the Palaszczuk government lifted those mandates in June 2022, the QPS mandate remained in place as it was a commissioner’s directive, not a government mandate.
The QPS directive was revoked that December.
In February 2024, Supreme Court Justice Glenn Martin found the QPS directive was unlawful under the Human Rights Act.
“Police and staff, many with years of experience and service records, had their pay cut off just before Christmas of 2021.”
Sibley said most class action participants nominated that they were in the “vaccine coercion group” – officers and staff employed between September 7, 2021, and December 12, 2022, who received jabs after the relevant directions were issued, but would not otherwise have received those doses.