AFLW player Deni Varnhagen working as a labourer after refusing COVID-19 vaccine

AFLW player Deni Varnhagen is working as a labourer after being stood down for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, a court has heard.

Varnhagen, who is also a nurse, is heading up a group challenging vaccine mandates which cost those that refused to get the jabs their jobs.

Today, the Supreme Court of South Australia heard the Crows player is continuing to earn a small wage from sport and is working part-time as a labourer.

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The mandates are under declarations by the state's emergency coordinator Grant Stevens, but he was too sick with a flu to testify as planned today.

"I invite Mr Stevens to take a Panadol and to come to court, and to tell the people of South Australia upon what information he relied when imposing mandates which have had the effect of throwing tens of thousands of South Australians out of their jobs," lawyer Loretta Polson said.

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Health workers, police officers and teachers are involved in the case and have argued the mandates were beyond Mr Stevens' emergency powers.

The case went ahead even though unvaccinated teachers and police officers can now return to work and health worker mandates might soon fall away too.