<div><strong>McDonald Law Firearms Reform Test Case Fund</strong>
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<div><strong>Purpose of this campaign</strong>
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<div>We are raising funds to bring a properly prepared legal challenge to aspects of the NSW Government’s firearms reforms passed on 24 December 2025, as contained in the <em>Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025.</em>
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<div><strong>Why we are doing this?</strong>
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<div>Our focus is the rule of law.
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<div>The NSW Parliament has imposed sweeping changes affecting hundreds of thousands of ordinary, law-abiding licence holders and firearms dealers. These changes severely restrict access to firearms and, in many cases, will ruin businesses and livelihoods.
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<div>Laws of this magnitude must be fair, transparent, and capable of lawful administration. Where reforms reduce independent external review and expand the secrecy of government and the Commissioner of Police in decision-making, it becomes essential to test whether the scheme and its operation comply with State and Constitutional limits and the fundamental administrative law principles of natural justice and procedural fairness.
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<div><strong>What we reject</strong>
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<div>Lawful firearms owners are being treated as though they were responsible for the Bondi attacks. We were not, and we never will be, responsible for Radical Islam.
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<div>Criminals and extremists do not follow laws. They find ways around them. More punitive regulation directed at the law-abiding community is not a solution.
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<div>These reforms risk scapegoating responsible licence holders for the acts of violent offenders. Government overreach is evident. They need to hear, clearly, that they do not speak for us and their power is not limitless.
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<div><strong>What we are trying to achieve</strong>
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<div>The only effective way to push back is through an appropriate legal challenge since our leaders in the Minns and Albenese Government have woefully failed lawful and law abiding Firearms licence holders
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<div>This campaign exists to ensure the government and the Commissioner of Police remain subject to the law, that decisions are made lawfully, and that the law-abiding population are not treated like second class citizens.
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<div>We are seeking to hold the system to account, to limit overreach, and to restore balance, fairness, transparency, and independent oversight.
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<div>Our objective is to run a staged test case in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, with the capacity to progress to the High Court of Australia if a genuine constitutional question of the validity of the new law arises.
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<div>This is not about claiming a constitutional right to firearms. Australia does not have that. This challenge is about whether the State can actually implement these law reforms in a way that is jurisdictional, procedurally fair, and consistent with the constitutional and administrative law constraints that protect every person from arbitrary executive power and erosion of democratic freedoms and the separation of powers.
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<div><strong>Funding milestones and estimated cost</strong>
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<div>Litigation of this complexity is expensive. A realistic end-to-end budget, from first instructions through to a High Court challenge, is in the order of $500,000 to $1,000,000.
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<div>All funds will be raised on an appropriate basis and deposited into an auditable trust account administered by McDonald Law and independently overseen and audited by an independent third party accountancy firm. 
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<div>The figures are an estimate only.
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<div>Our legal costs depend on how the Government responds, the number of steps, and the amount of evidence required.
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<div>We should expect that the Government will dig a deep trench to fight any legal challenge.
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<div>They have OUR tax dollars to spend on mounting any defence and are a determined opponent with a bottomless pit of cash in the Treasury Managed Fund (TMF).
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<div>To keep this disciplined, we will set funding benchmarks where each milestone unlocks the next stage of work.
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<div>There are 4 Milestones in total - the first estimate is below - all milestones are published below, but are indicative only. It could change as there is no certainty in litigation.
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<div>It should be acknowledged that this milestone outline and the estimates do not constitute a Cost Disclosure Agreement, and these estimates do not bind McDonald Law.
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<div>Also, for total transparency, the funds are not technically classified as trust funds, but will be treated as such regardless.
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<div>It should also be acknowledged that litigation is not guaranteed, and progression to Milestones 2-4 will not commence until we can formally provide and state that there are reasonable prospects of success, as required before beginning any civil litigation; under the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules (UCPR)
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<div><strong>Milestone 1: Foundation and Case Build</strong>
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<div><strong>Estimate:</strong> $50,000 to $150,000
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<li>McDonald Law formally instructed.
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<li>Immediate legal research and advice on reasonable prospects and grounds.
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<li>Engaging a litigation team and briefing Counsel and Kings Counsel.
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<li>Evidence gathering plan, including affidavits, Document Discovery, Notices to Produce, Expert Reports etc.
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<div><strong>Milestone 2: Supreme Court commencement and interlocutory proceedings.</strong>
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<div><strong>Estimate:</strong> $250,000 to $500,000
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<li>Includes drafting and filing NSW Supreme Court originating process, summons, supporting affidavits, and written submissions
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<li>Directions hearings, procedural steps, interlocutory preparation and appearances, and case management.
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<li>Ongoing Counsel involvement, briefing of King's Counsel where required.
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<li>Issue of Notices to Produce, Subpoenas, Notices of Motion etc.
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<div><strong>Milestone 3: Supreme Court hearing readiness and final determination</strong>
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<div><strong>Estimate:</strong> $500,000 to $700,000
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<li>Preparation of the brief of evidence.
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<li>Detailed written submissions for the final hearing, including constitutional and administrative law issues.
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<li>Conferences. Mediations etc.
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<li>The Supreme Court hearing, including counsel fees, transcript requests, and other court-related expenses.
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<li>Travel and Accommodation disbursements.
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<div><strong>Milestone 4: Appeal pathway and High Court proceedings if warranted</strong>
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<div><strong>Estimate</strong>: $700,000 to $1,000,000
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<li>Written Advice on prospects and the appeal route, including preservation of constitutional questions
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<li>Appeal preparation, including further written submissions etc.
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<li>High Court application and, if accepted, full High Court preparation and hearing.
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<li>Continuing engagement of Senior Junior Counsel and Kings Counsel on an ongoing basis through the appeal stages.
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<li>Contingency for additional interlocutory disputes, Notices of Motions, and procedural steps that often arise during litigation.
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<li>Travel and Accommodation expenses to the ACT during appearance in the High Court.
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<div><strong>Estimated cost breakdown across the whole campaign</strong>
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<div>The following is a practical guide to where the money goes across an end-to-end challenge. It is indicative only.
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<div><strong>Legal team fees: solicitors and counsel</strong>
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<div>Estimated range: $650,000 to $850,000
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<div>Includes McDonald Law professional legal fees, Counsel and King's Counsel briefing fees, preparation, conferences, pleadings, and hearing preparation.
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<div><strong>Court and hearing expenses</strong>
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<div>Estimated range: $50,000 to $120,000
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<div>Filing fees, transcript, court books, copying, service, and related disbursements.
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<div><strong>Evidence and Experts</strong>
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<div>Estimated range: $80,000 to $180,000
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<div>Expert reports (if required), document management support for large records, and evidence preparation costs.
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<div><strong>Contingency reserve</strong>
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<div>Estimated range: $100,000 to $200,000
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<div>Unexpected procedural steps, urgent injunction work, and additional hearings.
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<div><strong>TO ALL DONORS - LEGAL NOTICE</strong>
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<div><strong>Important Legal Notice and Funding Caveat</strong>
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<div>All funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign are voluntary donations made for a specific and limited public interest legal purpose, namely to enable McDonald Law to consider, investigate, research, and, if appropriate, pursue a legal challenge to legislation passed by Parliament, including the assessment of whether any such challenge has reasonable prospects of success.
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<div><strong>No Solicitor–Client Relationship with Donors</strong>
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<div>By making a donation, donors expressly acknowledge and agree that:
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<div>No solicitor–client relationship is created between any donor and McDonald Law within the meaning of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) (Uniform Law), including for the purposes of:
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<li>section 6 (definition of “client”),
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<li>Part 4.3 (legal costs),
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<li>Part 4.2 (professional obligations), or
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<li>The Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015.
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<div><strong>Donors are not clients, do not give instructions, and have no right to direct, control, influence, or participate in any legal work, litigation strategy, advice, or decision-making.</strong>
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<div><strong>No costs agreement, retainer, or other contractual arrangement is formed between McDonald Law and any donor.</strong>
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<div><em>Use of Funds and Assumption of Risk</em>
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<div>McDonald Law undertakes for avoidance of doubt that:
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<li>All funds will be applied solely and exclusively to the intended legal purpose described above.
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<li>No funds will be refunded to donors, irrespective of:
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<li>whether litigation ultimately proceeds,
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<li>the outcome of any investigation or proceedings, or
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<li>the success or failure of any legal challenge.
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<div>McDonald Law assumes the risk and financial burden of the legal work and any litigation that may proceed, including the risk that the work undertaken may not result in proceedings or may not be successful.
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<div>Donations are made on the basis that donors waive any claim to repayment, accounting, or direction of funds beyond the undertakings expressly stated in this notice.
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<div><strong>Trust Money and Compliance</strong>
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<div>To the extent, if any, that donated funds constitute trust money within the meaning of section 129 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), McDonald Law undertakes that such funds will be:
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<li>Held exclusively for the purpose for which they are received, in accordance with section 129(a);
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<li>Dealt with and applied only consistently with the stated donor purpose.
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<div>Managed in compliance with the L<em>egal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015</em>, including trust accounting and record-keeping requirements.
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<div>Donors acknowledge that the funds are donated with clear donor intent that they be used for the identified legal purpose and not for personal or unrelated commercial use.
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<div><strong>Excess Funds</strong>
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<div>In the event that there are excess funds remaining after completion of the intended legal work:
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<div>Those funds will not be retained by McDonald Law for any unrelated purpose.
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<div>Those funds will be donated to one or more charitable organisations, selected at the sole discretion of McDonald Law.
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<div>Donors will have no right, claim, or entitlement to:
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<li>direct how excess funds are applied,
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<li>nominate a charity, or
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<li>require repayment of surplus monies.
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<div>This arrangement reflects that McDonald Law has assumed the risks, costs, and obligations associated with the legal work and any litigation that may proceed.
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<div><strong>Future Client Structure</strong>
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<div>If, at a later stage, a third-party entity (such as an incorporated association or trustee) is established to act as the formal litigant or client, then:
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<div>That entity will be the “client” for the purposes of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW);
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<div>McDonald Law may act as solicitor for that entity only pursuant to a formal retainer and compliant costs disclosure and costs agreement;
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<div>Funds will then be dealt with strictly in accordance with the applicable trust, costs, and professional conduct provisions.
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<div><strong>Governance and Integrity Commitments</strong>
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<div>McDonald Law expressly undertakes that the handling of all donated funds will be governed by:
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<div>Clear donor intent,
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<li>Transparent handling of trust money,
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<li>Proper invoicing and accounting,
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<li>Appropriate independent structure or oversight where of if required, and
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<li>Robust and reasonable documentation sufficient to withstand regulatory, ethical, and audit scrutiny.
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McDonald Law - Taking the Firearms Act to Court

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