COVID-19

An anti-lockdown protester has lost her appeal of a decision dismissing her legal challenge to Victoria’s stay-at-home orders, with an appeals court finding the reduction in risk to public health “outweighed” impacts on freedom of speech.

A class action against a Victorian aged care home over alleged major failures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has asked the facility to hand over insurance information and evidence of its financial position. 

A class action on behalf of businesses claiming harm from the 2020 hotel quarantine debacle has staved off the state of Victoria’s bid for a stay pending a criminal action against the Department of Health.

Personal lender ClearLoans and its parent company have agreed to pay penalties of just over $6 million to settle the first COVID-19 related case brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Qantas was entitled to take adverse action against ground crew to stave off the possibility of future industrial action, the airline has told the High Court in an appeal of a finding that it breached the Fair Work Act when it outsourced the crew’s work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fate of 25 unfair dismissal claims by former DP World employees hangs in the balance after the Fair Work Commission ruled that the stevedoring company failed to consult its workers about its COVID-19 vaccination policy.

A Boeing Defence instructor who was sacked for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination has won an unfair dismissal case, with the Fair Work Commission finding it was “harsh and unreasonable” for Boeing to fire him while he was in the running for another role at the company.

The state of Western Australia has been left with a $2 million legal bill for defending a defamation action  by billionaire Clive Palmer and advancing cross-claims on behalf of premier Mark McGowan, which a judge blasted as “a futile exercise”.

A class action on behalf of businesses claiming harm from the 2020 hotel quarantine debacle has fought back against the state of Victoria’s bid to push the case off until a criminal action against the state’s Department of Health has been heard.

Insurers will file de-classing applications in four class actions on behalf of small businesses seeking coverage under business interruption policies for losses flowing from COVID-19 restrictions after their test cases largely failed.