New South Wales

The New South Wales government has accused anti-vaccination advocates of having a “misguided” and “one-dimensional focus” on the fundamental rights of the individual over those of a community contending with the highly-contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. 

As Australia’s largest cities prepare to emerge from lockdown, law firms are doubling down on their efforts to vaccinate staff, with some going so far as to implement a ‘no jab, no office’ policy.

A judge has ruled legal challenges to orders requiring COVID-19 vaccines for certain workers in New South Wales are not exceptional enough to warrant the disclosure of cabinet documents, with the judge noting he did not think the state health minister’s orders made vaccines “mandatory”.

Thousands of emails have inundated the inbox of the judge overseeing legal challenges to the NSW health minister’s orders mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for certain workers, prompting a public warning against interfering with the administration of justice.

Oil and gas producer Santos has successfully challenged the summary dismissal of its claim for recovery of more than $470 million paid to contractor Fluor Corporation in overhead costs incurred after the estimated completion date of gas hubs in the Surat Basin.

Cases challenging the NSW government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for the state’s police officers, teachers and healthcare workers are exceptional enough to warrant production by the government of documents presented to state cabinet before the public health order, a court has heard.

A judge has issued a stern warning to litigation funders seeking to take a “gamble” on pending court proceedings, ruling they could be held liable for costs if their intervention proves critical to the advancement of the case.

NSW Health wants to amend its defence to an underpayments class action on behalf of 24,000 junior doctors, bringing claims that the lead applicant is barred from seeking compensation for group members under industrial relations law.

A judge hearing a $2 million dispute between a former tenured professor and the University of New South Wales has lamented the lengthy pleadings filed in Fair Work cases, saying “everything but the kitchen sink seems to be thrown in, without any discrimination”.

A former barrister has continued to practice in local courts without a valid practising certificate, in “very serious” criminal contempt of a court-ordered injunction, the NSW Bar Association has told a court.