Brethren Church says it did not pay influencers to harass election candidates

Elections

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says it did not pay far‑right influencers to harass election candidates. (Four Corners: Briana Fiore)

In short:

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says it did not secretly pay people to disrupt the federal election campaign last year.

Allegations in Nine newspapers today say members of the church organized far‑right influencers to harass candidates.

What's next?

The Brethren church told a Senate inquiry its own members were the victims of a harassment campaign at polling booths.

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says it did not secretly pay people to disrupt Labor's re‑election campaign last year in a coordinated effort with far‑right influencers and candidate tracking.

Nine Newspapers report members of the wealthy Christian group, formerly called the Exclusive Brethren, used figures like influencer Laurence McIntyre, who shouted at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the first campaign day.

During the election, many candidates said unusually large numbers of Liberal volunteers were at pre‑poll booths in key marginal seats, and they thought many were church members mobilised by the Brethren.

At the time, the Coalition and the Brethren denied any support arrangement was in place.

Speaking to a Senate inquiry, Lloyd Grimshaw, a church director, said church members themselves were victims of "extraordinary attacks" at polling booths.

"Much was made of the fact that some individuals in the church volunteered during the election, and that was used to justify it becoming open season on the Christian brethren," he said.

Mr Grimshaw said the claims were a "complete lie" and denied the church gave money to political parties or third parties.

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church protects a multi‑billion‑dollar business that supports the church. These men discovered how far the church will go to keep it safe.

"The story makes not one specific allegation about a specific member of our church," he said.

"Without names, it doesn't even make a threshold for gossip. It's a tale."

He said there was a "very strong" volunteering culture in the church, and said members had "normal reasons" for volunteering, like supporting a candidate they liked or helping with the election‑day barbecue.

"Not every person in a blue shirt, with a side part, or with a bow in their hair was a member of the Brethren church," he said.

He also said there was a difference between work in church administration and the church community.

"There's no institutional coordination, if I can put it that way," he said.

"No church in this country would be held responsible for what parishioners did in their private time."

Line must be drawn on intimidation

Ahead of the inquiry, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said it was essential to Australia's democracy to "draw a line" on the alleged behaviour, especially physical intimidation.

Members of a secretive Christian sect are being given instructions on how to lie about their beliefs against voting in elections, in an apparent coordinated effort to campaign for the Liberal and National parties.

"There are countries throughout the world where people get paid to engage in physical intimidation around election time, and the thought that Australia has been added to that list should send a chill among everyone who loves this country," he said.

He said he had been spending an "increasing" portion of his time dealing with threats against people who work at or are associated with the federal parliament, alongside the Australian Federal Police.

"We need to draw a line under this," he said.

Mr Burke called on the Liberal Party to explain what they knew about the Brethren during the campaign, and said One Nation must also "explain if they are welcoming these same individuals".

Former Deputy PM Michael McCormack says union members harassed him at a polling booth. (ABC Riverina: Jess Scully)

Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said while the allegations should be investigated, the union movement was also responsible for harassment at polling booths.

He did not give a specific example but said he had previously been "pushed and heckled and spat on" and called it an "unfortunate part" of being a Coalition member.

"People from the unions turn up to polling booths. It's been happening since the year dot, and if anyone denies that they are just kidding themselves," he said.

"I think the very far right and the very far left of politics are both dangerous, frankly.

"It should be investigated, and it doesn't need to happen."

Mr Grimshaw told the inquiry that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's comments during that election campaign calling the church a "cult" had spurred more members to volunteer at polling booths.

"Not only is it offensive, it's completely untrue," he said.

"It probably helped many members to show up because they were angry about the comments, and that alone made them volunteer."

Church questioned over campaign in Kooyong

During the election, many Brethren volunteers were said to have gathered in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong, which independent Monique Ryan eventually won.

At the inquiry, Mr Grimshaw said he could not comment on volunteer coordination in Kooyong because the church had "no input", but he said he "assumed" any volunteers would have been directed by the party they were helping.

"I really can't enlighten you on it. The church had no input on it," he said, before repeating that not everyone in a blue shirt was a Brethren member.

Dr Ryan pushed back on the claim that the Brethren were not identifiable, and said the women canvassing her electorate wore a uniform of a black skirt and leggings, and they repeated the phrase, "Make Australia happy again," many times.

"They clearly had a script from which they were speaking at pre‑pol," she said.

Dr Ryan also asked Mr Grimshaw about a report in The Age that said Brethren members made more than a million calls for the Liberal Party during the campaign.

"That's really for the Liberal Party to answer," he said.

"The church certainly doesn't know anything about it."

Earlier in his evidence, Mr Grimshaw said it was not surprising that members of the church would lean towards the right side of politics.

"They're small business owners, and they're of a conservative Christian faith. I don't think it's unexpected that their bent and leaning, for most of them, is towards conservative politics," he said.

Former members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church have described a controlling environment within the church, with strict views on gender roles and a firm opposition to homosexuality.

Some members choose not to vote on religious grounds.

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