Commissioner confident vax court challenge will fail as union pushes for funding disclosure

Queensland’s Police Commissioner says she is very confident her Covid vaccine mandate will hold up in court, while the Police Union has urged members to disclose who is bankrolling the challenge.

The Queensland Police Union has urged its members to publicly reveal who is funding a legal challenge against the Queensland Police Commissioner, after The Courier-Mail yesterday revealed numerous QPS staff are taking Katarina Carroll to court over her Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

Commissioner Katarina Carroll is confident her mandate will stick. Picture: Liam Kidston

Following yesterday’s report Union’s Vice President, Shane Prior, aired concerns over any potential motives behind the court challenge.

“I would hate that our members are being tagged on and blindsided by political gains,” Mr Prior said.

“I won’t get into what the rumours are around who is funding what. I would just ask the members who are engaging in this challenge to publicly declare who is financially backing them so the public can have a true picture about what is really going on here.

“We have a real concern at the Union that our members would be blind sided and pulled into any political gains.”

Ms Carroll last week ordered her officers to receive their first Covid jab by October 4, and their second by January 24 or face the possibility of suspension without pay.

There are of course grounds for medical exemptions, the Commissioner said in her email.

However seven people – the majority believed to be police officers – have legally challenged the Commissioner’s directive, stating the decision impairs, affects or removes their “fundamental common law rights and statutory rights and obligations.” 

The Commissioner on Wednesday morning said she was disappointed by her staff’s decision to challenge the direction. 

“I’m actually disappointed in that because my responsibility is for the safety of all my police officers and all of the community,” Commissioner Carroll said.

“The evidence clearly shows that the front line is more at risk … 

“What I’m trying to do is get ahead of the game, to make sure that if Covid does come into this state more broadly, like it has in other states, that we are prepared.

“ … My greatest dread is that we might spread the virus to a vulnerable community, and what would that do? The results would be devastating.”

To date, over 80 per cent of the QPS has been logged in the system as having received their first vaccine.

However, there is a small lag with the logging system, and that number is believed to be higher. 

Commissioner Carroll again urged her troops to get the vaccination before the October 4 deadline.

She also stated she was confident that her mandate will stick, even once challenged in court.

“I am very, very confident that it will hold up,” Commissioner Carroll said.

“I’ve spoken to my partners in Health and Ambulance – we did not go this alone.

“ … We are extraordinarily confident. We are a community facing agency, we are a service agency, we are in among you all the time. It is extraordinarily important that we set an example and that we are vaccinated.”

Mr Prior agreed with the Commissioner’s claims, stating the Union also believed the legal challenge would be unsuccessful.

“Australia is a democracy, you are allowed to make these challenges in court,” Mr Prior said.

“Our legal advice is that a challenge of this nature would fail. And not only will it cost an exuberant amount of money, it would also waste the court’s time.”

He would not comment on who was funding the matter.

Mr Prior said the Union recognised they may be “criticised for their position,” but said the Union prided itself on telling its members “the truth, being honest with them, and not just telling them what they want to hear.”