by Daniel Teng

Queensland GP Dr. Melissa McCann has filed the action in the Federal Court of Australia on behalf of 500 complainants.

The action targets the federal government, Dr. Brendan Murphy, the Chief Medical Officer, and Prof. John Skerritt, the public face of the Therapeutic Goods Administration—the country's drug regulatory body.

"The action will argue that the Therapeutic Goods Administration [TGA] did not fulfil their duty to properly regulate the COVID-19 vaccines, resulting in considerable harm and damage to Australians," said Natalie Strijland from NR Barbi Solicitor said in a statement.

The main thrust of the claim is that the government's actions in promoting the use of COVID-19 vaccines were "negligent or wrongful" and resulted in personal injury, medical expenses, and economic loss for the claimants.

"The claim now proceeds upon the basis that the government, in fact, acted negligently in approving the vaccines and also by failing to withdraw them after approval based upon the known evidence," Strijland said.

"Australians who have experienced a serious adverse event following COVID-19 vaccination are invited to step forward and register for this class action."

Liberal Sen. Gerard Rennick—a vocal critic of vaccine mandates—welcomed the action.