Latest news with #EducationQueensland
Sky News AU
08-07-2025
- Health
- Sky News AU
Legal action in Queensland over Covid restrictions following pandemic sackings can continue, judges rule
Queenslanders who refused to comply with the state's stringent COVID policies can continue to pursue legal action against the state government after a successful appeal. The group includes healthcare workers, small business owners, employees of Education Queensland, privately employed teachers and workers in the hospitality sector. Most of the group refused to take a COVID vaccine, while others launched legal action because they had to turn customers who were not vaccinated away from their businesses. Their applications were dismissed in 2023, before the matter reached the trial stage and the substantive legal and factual arguments could be made. The Supreme Court said the cases did not have legal standing as the health directives had been revoked by the state government. The applicants appealed that decision last year, and on Tuesday it was overturned. Three Court of Appeal judges found they did have legal standing and ordered that the appeals be allowed. When determining if there were any other grounds to dismiss the applications, Justice John Bond said there was "no other good reason to deny the applicants their day in court". "In an attempt to establish the merits of their claims for declaratory orders in relation to alleged past contraventions," he said. The decision to overturn the Supreme Court judgement comes 18 months after challenges to COVID vaccine mandates in Queensland were successful. In that case, a judge ruled that imposing the directives on Queensland Police and Queensland Ambulance Service was unlawful, finding the directives breached a section of the Human Rights Act.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Queenslanders to continue legal challenges against COVID-19 directives after successful appeal
Several Queenslanders, including small business owners and teachers, who had their legal challenges against COVID-19 vaccine directives thrown out, can continue fighting their cases after a successful appeal. In 2022, two groups of people launched Supreme Court action alleging directives made by two Chief Health Officers (CHO) and the state government during the pandemic were unlawful. They also alleged some of the directions breached parts of the Human Rights Act. The 19 applicants were made up of Education Queensland employees, privately employed teachers and hospitality owners and businesses. Of the individuals in the claims, most had refused to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, which under the health directives at the time prevented them from working. While others were unable to permit staff and customers who were not vaccinated to enter their business. However, in 2023, before the matter reached the trial stage and the substantive legal and factual arguments could be made, their applications were dismissed. At the time, a Supreme Court judge ruled the groups "never had… or ceased to have" legal standing, as the health directives had since been revoked. Because of this, it was ruled they were "no longer adversely affected" and would "incur no foreseeable consequence". The applicants appealed that decision last year, and on Tuesday it was overturned. Three Court of Appeal judges found they did have legal standing and ordered that the appeals be allowed. When determining if there were any other grounds to dismiss the applications, Justice John Bond said there was "no other good reason to deny the applicants their day in Court". "In an attempt to establish the merits of their claims for declaratory orders in relation to alleged past contraventions," he said in a published decision. "There is a strong public interest in determining whether or not there is any merit in their claims." Outside court the lawyer representing the groups, Sam Iskander, said he was "really happy" with the outcome, which allows both civil cases to continue. The decision comes almost 18 months after separate workplace vaccine mandate challenges were successful. A court determined directions given to some frontline workers were unlawful or of no effect.
