Judges ponders IBM-Qld payroll dispute

A judge has retired to consider whether technology giant IBM can be sued over Queensland's botched health payroll system.

The Queensland government wants compensation for the $1.2 billion public administration bungle, which saw thousands of health workers underpaid, overpaid, or not paid at all.

Contractor IBM has told the Supreme Court it can't be sued under a 2010 settlement agreement, and Justice Glenn Martin reserved his decision on Thursday after a three-day trial.