I couldn't find the recent appropriate thread so decided on this one.
Action taken by Qld Police against their commissioner.
Queensland police Commissioner Katarina Carroll faces legal challenge to staff COVID vaccination mandate
By crime editor [color=var(--link-text,var(--colour-assistant))]Paul Doneman[/iurl] and [color=var(--link-text,var(--colour-assistant))]Alexandria Utting[/iurl][/size][/size][/color]
Posted Tue 28 Sep 2021 at 7:46pmTuesday 28 Sep 2021 at 7:46pm, updated 22h ago22 hours ago[/color]
[color=var(--colour-aa)]Commissioner Katarina Carroll is facing legal action over a move to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for QPS staff.ABC News: Chris Gillette
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The Queensland Police Commissioner's direction for all staff to be vaccinated or face suspension and possible dismissal will be tested in the Supreme Court.
Key points:- Seven QPS staff, including five serving police officers, are challenging the vaccine mandate
- They allege the Commissioner's direction is a breach of anti-discrimination laws
- They are also seeking a stay on disciplinary actions or proceedings against them
Seven Queensland Police Service (QPS) employees, including five serving police officers, are seeking a court order to invalidate the direction and stop it from being enforced.
Commissioner Katarina Carroll has directed both civilian staff and police to have at least one vaccination shot by October 4 and a second dose by January 24 next year.
Commissioner Carroll is named as the first respondent in the legal challenge.
She has said previously any staff member who fails to meet the deadline will be suspended for a week on pay and then asked to show cause why they should not be suspended without pay.
The QPS group are also seeking a stay on any disciplinary action or proceedings against them for not being vaccinated until their cases are finalised in court.
QPS mandates COVID jab
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll says vaccination is the greatest protection against COVID-19 and that all QPS staff are required to get the jab within five months.
Read more
A separate group of Queensland police officers and their families set up a GoFundMe Page last month to raise money for legal challenges against compulsory vaccination.
More than $110,000 has been raised for this group and legal sources have told ABC News court action will be launched on their behalf in the coming days.
In the Supreme Court action filed from the seven employees, they are seeking a judicial review of the Commissioner's direction, alleging it breaches the rules of natural justice, human rights and anti-discrimination laws.
Court docuмents show the group also claim the direction for staff to vaccinate is an "improper exercise of power".
Their concerns include that the Commissioner's direction is an adverse action against employees that do not vaccinate because of political or religious beliefs.
It is unclear who is bankrolling the Supreme Court action.
The Queensland Police Union has said it is not funding the action and is unaware of who is doing so.
The group of seven are being represented by lawyer Sam Iskander and their case will be heard in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday.
I have an obligation to keep them safe: Carroll
Commissioner Carroll told ABC Radio Brisbane the Supreme Court challenge was "particularly disappointing".
"I always think what if I got this and pass it on to someone else, and what if we ended up in a vulnerable community, then the results would be devastating," she said."It really is not just about the individual it's about the collective, the whole organisation in the whole community.
"I have an obligation to keep them safe. And I really want the individual officer to think about that and I really want the individual officer to think about that because it is about everyone, not just about one person."
She said "extraordinary amount of research" was taken when imposing the mandate, which requires all Queensland police officers to be vaccinated.
"Other police services are doing this — New South Wales, Northern Territory — other agencies public and private," she said.
"We did research into USA and UK, so many police officers have actually died.
"My message to the organisation is: when we open up the borders I expect COVID will be with us and I need you to be vaccinated and I think the public expects us to be vaccinated."
Commissioner Carroll said any officers who have not had their first vaccination as of October 4 will be suspended with four weeks' pay.
"We are being very gracious in allowing them time to really think about this," she said.
"The evidence is clear that here that we really do need to be vaccinated."
'About making the community feel safe'
The QPS has stated previously that it sought independent legal advice on the vaccination mandate.
"The QPS is mandating vaccinations for the entire workforce in all QPS workplaces within the next five months to protect employees, their families and the community from COVID-19," a spokesperson said.
"The dynamic nature of policing means frontline officers interact with large volumes of people and move around to all corners of the state."It is important the Queensland community have confidence and feel safe when interacting with their police."
The spokesperson said staff were encouraged to speak with their managers to work out "individual issues and circuмstances" over the next five months.
"While we respect individual choice and we will continue to engage closely with our members as we implement the directive, our overwhelming obligation is to ensure we have safe workplaces and a safe community," the spokesperson said.Incidentally
day one of the supreme court (NSW) hearing against our health minister starts in less than one hour, at 10am today live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRJYXZn7HPEIt won't be available after the hearing
Topic: The Queensland government has consistently behaved “irrationally and inhumanely” (Read 202 times)