NSW Police Reverse Stance on Unvaccinated Officers Barred Under COVID Mandates

New South Wales Police badges in Sydney on Aug. 16, 2013. AAP Image/Dean LewinsFormer New South Wales police officers who left the force rather than comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be able to apply for reappointment after the NSW Police Force changed its policy from mandatory to recommended vaccination.A NSW Police Force spokesperson said the commissioner was now considering reappointing former members on a case-by-case basis.“In the case of former officers, this will include satisfying a professional suitability assessment which includes physical, medical, and psychological testing,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.“Once cleared, the officer will be required to complete a 12-week course at the NSW Police Academy.”Around 55 officers are reported to have left or been removed over the vaccination mandate.The shift comes after the state government previously indicated that officers who refused the vaccine would not be allowed to return.In 2024, NSW Libertarian Party MP John Ruddick queried the state’s police minister, Yasmin Catley, whether unvaccinated former members would be eligible for reappointment. The minister’s written reply stated that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement had been a lawful direction and a condition of employment.“Employees who refused to be vaccinated by the specified deadlines were deemed as having breached a lawful direction and therefore subject to disciplinary proceedings, which included removal from the NSW Police Force,” the response said.It added that any former officer removed under section 181D of the Police Act 1990 for failing to comply with a lawful direction “will not be considered eligible for reappointment.”All officers had a right of review of their removal, which the minister said had been upheld.