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The state of Victoria is facing a legal challenge to its plan to require all school and childcare staff in the state to receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine before December.

Individuals challenging public health orders mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for certain workers in New South Wales have told a court “the line was crossed” when the state government threatened their livelihoods.

Health experts have told a court hearing a challenge to a requirement that certain workers get the COVID-19 jab that vaccinations are an effective tool in the fight against the coronavirus, despite the global surge of ‘breakthrough’ infections caused by the outbreak of the highly-infectious Delta strain.

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.

Victoria’s health and safety regulator WorkSafe has filed proceedings against the state government over alleged health and safety breaches relating to last year’s disastrous hotel quarantine program failures which kicked off the state’s second wave of COVID-19.

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”.

The Queensland police Commissioner is facing a lawsuit alleging an order requiring staff to get a COVID-19 vaccine violates privacy and discrimination laws and should be declared invalid.

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.

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.

Personal lender ClearLoans has lost its bid to strike out claims in ASIC’s first case related to the COVID-19 pandemic after a judge found the regulator’s action, which accuses the lender of breaching the hardship provisions of the credit laws, was “sufficiently clear”.