Why hundreds of Australians who lost their jobs because of Covid mandates could soon get their hands on a massive cash payout

Hundreds of frontline emergency services workers could receive a massive cash payout after a class action lawsuit was launched against the Queensland government over Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

The legal action was filed on behalf of over 300 Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance Service officers in the Supreme Court, in Brisbane, on Friday.   

Billionaire Aussie mining magnate Clive Palmer announced in a statement, which was uploaded to X, that he is funding the lawsuit.

‘We are standing up for the 300-plus police and paramedics seeking compensation from the State of Queensland due to many people losing their jobs, being injured by the COVID-19 vaccines and being unlawfully disciplined for not following the vaccine directions set by the Queensland police and ambulance services,’ Mr Palmer said.

‘Queensland police and ambulance workers were abandoned by their unions. Their human rights were ignored’.

The move comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of 74 police officers and QAS workers in February this year, who launched legal action against the mandates. 

Justice Glen Martin found that the rules imposed on police were unlawful and those on ambulance staff were ineffective.

The rules, which were issued to emergency service workers, during 2021 and 2022, required staff to receive the vaccine and relevant booster doses. 

Those who did not comply faced suspensions or sackings.  

Former specialist officer Senior Constable Luke Jones is among the first responders, who are part of the case lodged on Friday. 

Mr Jones was suspended from his job in 2021 before he was sacked earlier this year after he refused to get vaccinated. 

He claims he has lost more than $400,000 in wages and said he struggled with the toll of being let go from the force as he fights to get his job back. 

‘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,’ Mr Jones told the ABC.  

‘It was my dream job. I worked very hard for that and to have that stripped away from me, so suddenly out of nowhere, I struggled with identity after that for a long time, because I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to do’.

Solicitor Justin Sibley from Sibley lawyers, who is representing those who are part of the lawsuit, claimed Ms Carroll failed to consider the rights of officers when the mandates were imposed.  

‘What the QPS did to all its staff, including those who complied under coercion, was unlawful,’ Mr Sibley told the Courier Mail.

‘Those who are still outside of the police because they were wrongly terminated, are having that wrong perpetuated’.

Former specialist officer Senior Constable Luke Jones (pictured) is among the first responders, who are part of the case lodged on Friday. Mr Jones was suspended from his job in 2021 before he was sacked earlier this year after he refused to get vaccinated

Pictured: Australia during lockdown in 2021 

A Queensland Police spokesperson said that police wouldn’t comment on the lawsuit however, acknowledged the role officers played in complying with the mandate.

‘The QPS recognises members who complied with the former Commissioner’s directions regarding mandatory vaccination, to support the safety of the Queensland community,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘The Supreme Court found that the former Commissioner did not properly consider human rights as required by the Human Rights Act 2019 when issuing the Directions, and that this was the sole basis on which the Directions were unlawful’.

‘As such, the QPS maintains it was appropriate for those members of the service to be vaccinated’.

The spokesperson said officers, who were suspended for non-compliance with the directions, have since returned to work following the revocations of their suspensions.