4:56 pm on 25 February 2022

The High Court has quashed the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for police and Defence Force staff.

The order required Defence Force personnel, and police constables, recruits and authorised officers to have two doses of the vaccine by 1 March, or face termination.

Fewer than 300 of the more than 31,000 staff affected by the mandate across the organisations remain unvaccinated.

On 6 January, three unvaccinated staff sought a judicial review of the mandate.

They were supported by affidavits from 37 of their colleagues in the same situation.

Justice Cooke today released his decision which upheld their claims the vaccination order breached their rights under the Bill of Rights Act.

While the judge did not accept some of the applicants’ arguments, he agreed the mandate infringed on section 11 and section 15 of the Act.