You may have seen there are a number of court proceedings on foot challenging various aspects of the NSW State Government’s COVID-19 related health orders, such as:
- John Edward Larter v The Hon Bradley Hazzard MP, Minister for Health and Medical Research 2021/00259688 (Supreme Court of NSW, filed 24/09/21) – the paramedic vaccine mandate challenge;
- Natasha Henry v Bradley Ronald Hazzard 2021/00252587 (Supreme Court of NSW, filed 19/09/21) – the aged care worker vaccine mandate challenge;
- Ibrahim Can v State of NSW 2021/00265124 (Supreme Court of NSW, filed 16/09/21) – seeking a declaration that the NSW public health orders are invalid;
- Al-Munir Kassam v Bradley Ronald Hazzard 2021/00249601 (Supreme Court of NSW, filed 10/09/21) – the construction worker vaccine mandate challenge;
- Belinda Kay Hocroft v Bradley Ronald Hazzard, Minister for Health and Medical Research 2021/00252692 (Supreme Court of NSW, filed 10/09/21) – the police vaccine mandate challenge (this case was dismissed by consent on 15/09/21); and
- Christopher Dinkar Athvale & Ors v State of New South Wales & Ors NSD894/2021 (Federal Court of Australia, filed 1/09/21) – application by religious leaders seeking a lockdown exemption (this application was dismissed by the Court on 3/09/21, in Athavle v State of New South Wales [2021] FCA 1075).
The cases in the NSW Supreme Court are being heard together, and you may have seen a fake court transcript being circulated on social media by anti-vaxxers, designed to bring the vaccines, and the relevant expert, into disrepute.
In response, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance was forced to issue a media release today alerting the community that the so-called court transcript is a fake, and the quotes attributed to NCIRS Director Professor Kristine Macartney are fabricated.
Last month, NSW Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones was also forced to issue a stern warning from to bench to anti-vaxxers bombarding him with email messages, noting that their conduct was interfering with the administration of justice.
While I just simply don’t understand the endless, barefaced lies and misinformation peddled by anti-vaxxers on social media, I suppose when facts and science are not on your side, all you are left with is an alternative reality filled with falsehoods …
Postscript – 15 October 2021: just about an hour ago Justice Robert Beech-Jones, somewhat predictably, dismissed the challenges to the vaccine mandates in Kassam v Hazzard; Henry v Hazzard [2021] NSWSC 1320, concluding that ‘[a]ll of the asserted grounds of invalidity raised by both sets of plaintiffs have been rejected. Both proceedings must be dismissed.’
The Vue Post 