Hundreds of Queensland police officers are suing over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. 

Current and former officers have filed a class action against the state government and Queensland Police Service (QPS), citing breaches of human rights. 

The case, submitted to the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Friday, is funded by billionaire Clive Palmer, who previously backed a similar legal challenge in 2022.

The lawsuit follows a February ruling by the Queensland Supreme Court, which found that vaccine mandates for some frontline workers breached human rights laws. 

Justice Glenn Martin ruled that directives did not comply with Section 58 of the Human Rights Act, which requires public service decisions to consider human rights compatibility. 

Although the court did not deem mandatory vaccinations unlawful, it found the directives were issued improperly.

The legal action, led by solicitor Justin Sibley, represents three groups affected by the mandates - those who complied, those denied medical exemptions and then vaccinated, and those who refused and were suspended or dismissed.

Sibley described the mandates as “coercive”, arguing they placed undue pressure on staff. 

He claimed that Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll failed to properly consider human rights, causing harm to some personnel.

QPS, while not commenting on the ongoing case, noted that the court did not invalidate the directives. 

A QPS spokesperson maintained that the mandates were reasonable in the context of the pandemic. 

Some suspended employees have since returned to work after the reversal of the policy.

Legal experts believe the ruling could prompt similar cases nationwide. Others note that the ruling sets a precedent for evaluating human rights in public service decisions but does not prevent future vaccine mandates. 

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