Anti-mask lawyer crowdfunds to ‘end lockdown’ in High Court battle

An anti-mask lawyer plans to fight the nation’s governments to end the coronavirus lockdown measures. And he wants you to pay for it.

A Sydney lawyer who went viral for telling Melbourne residents they did not need to wear masks is trying to take his battle against health orders to the High Court – but he wants you to pay for it.

Nathan Buckley has launched a GoFundMe campaign, seeking to raise $1 million so he can sue the nation’s governments and “remove all lockdown restrictions immediately”.

Mr Buckley named border restrictions against Victorians, mandatory quarantine for Queenslanders who visit a coronavirus hot spot, and guidelines around visiting aged-care facilities as just some of the rules he wanted to put an end to before taking aim at more specific health measures.

“People are being fired from their jobs for refusing to have a flu vaccination,” he wrote.

“People are being told to wear masks when all the evidence clearly states that masks are useless. Masks represent oppression.

“Enough is enough. The purpose of this campaign is to raise enough money to challenge the states, territories and the Federal Government in the High Court of Australia. The challenge is to remove all lockdown restrictions immediately. We will end the lockdown laws.”

Mr Buckley said his campaign would get millions of people back into work and “save Australia from the depths of despair of a deep recession”.

“Like all Australians, I will forever be grateful to all contributors who free Australia from the chains of the Government's lockdown restrictions,” he wrote.

The lawyer, who says he is admitted to the roll of practitioners on the High Court of Australia, has already raised more than $12,500 towards his campaign, but if he does not raise enough money, he claims he will refund or redistribute the money to his other campaigns.

Mr Buckley’s other campaigns include a $10 million bid to change laws in Australia around mandatory flu vaccinations for visits to aged care homes and some workplaces – which has since been updated to include a challenge to a health order in Victoria mandating masks be worn in public.

In the description, he explains the target is so high as to ensure he can pay in the event he loses in court and is ordered to pay costs.

Another fundraiser has been launched to fight the No Jab No Play laws in South Australia, which has raised nearly a quarter of its $200,000 target.

On July 24, Mr Buckley told supporters he was in discussions with “several high net-worth individuals” to try and get their financial support.

“I am positive that this will get off the ground,” he wrote.

Mr Buckley went viral earlier this month for telling Victorians: “Don’t wear a mask.”

“Get a $200 fine then elect to have it determined in court,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Every single one of you 6.359 million Victorians can challenge the fines in court. The Victorian Government won’t fight you in court. It is far too expensive for them to do so.”

Mr Buckley has since taken the post down, noting on one of his GoFundMe accounts he acted “at the request of the NSW Law Society”.

In June, he advised Victorians to avoid the lockdown, and the lawyer has also provided legal letters to healthcare workers who do not want a flu vaccination.

NCA NewsWire sent several questions to Mr Buckley about when his lawsuits might proceed, refunding the money if they didn’t, who would be running the multiple High Court challenges, and what he believed was an acceptable alternative to the current health orders.

Mr Buckley said he was “not engaging with media” and declined to comment.

Originally published as Anti-mask lawyer crowdfunds to ‘end lockdown’ in High Court battle