Exclusive Brethren head denies church role in Liberal party election volunteers

The most senior member of the Exclusive Brethren, Bruce Hales, has told an Australian parliamentary committee he had no knowledge of or involvement in thousands of his church's members volunteering for the Liberal party at the 2025 federal election.

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church rejected claims that it coordinated volunteers and a campaign for the Coalition, and that it secretly paid far-right figures to stage stunts against the prime minister and other Labor MPs.

Hales told Friday's hearing: "I want to be clear and unequivocal. I had no involvement whatsoever in relation to any members who volunteered or took part in any aspect of the 2025 federal election."

"I did not plan such activities. I did not coordinate such activities. I did not direct such activities. I did not fund such activities," he said.

Hales also denied that his church was a cult, a term used by the prime minister. His son Gareth Hales, who also gave evidence, said it was "a bit rough" to be labelled that way.

Meetings with activists

Gareth Hales told the committee he had met Morgan C Jonas and Chris de Bruyne separately in a business capacity and briefly discussed the "general direction the government was headed". Independent MP Andrew Gee referred to the two as far-right activists, although Gareth Hales denied knowing their political affiliations at the time.

Nine newspapers have reported Jonas and de Bruyne were involved in a campaign that targeted Labor and other left-leaning politicians during the election. Gareth Hales denied reports that his company Sante Global paid the two men to disrupt other campaigns.

Clashes in the committee

The hearing was marred by clashes, with committee members accusing one another of "religious persecution" and "running a protection racket". Coalition members likened questioning by Labor and crossbench MPs to a "Spanish Inquisition".

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and Liberal MP Ben Small repeatedly interrupted questions, calling them "disgraceful" and "disrespectful". McKenzie said the line of questioning looked "a lot like religious persecution", while Small was accused of trying to answer questions for the church. Gee, a former Nationals MP, said the two were running an "old Liberal party protection racket", a comment he was forced to withdraw.

Sermon and text message

On 20 April 2025, just under two weeks before the federal election, Bruce Hales gave a sermon in which he told members to be "fervent in prayer for good government" and said the country needed to be happy again and smiling again. Those latter phrases appeared on posters endorsing the Liberal party during the campaign. Hales denied the sermon was a call to action and said he had no knowledge of his words being used in billboards and advertising.

Nine newspapers reported the sermon was broadcast and then turned into a text message by Gareth Hales and his brothers, which said: "We need to make sure our booths are manned and our volunteers are fired up." Gareth Hales, who holds no official role in the church, said he could not confirm or deny whether he wrote the message but denied instructing members to join the campaign, saying he encouraged those already volunteering to keep doing what they were doing.

Gee, who said he was tailed by several Brethren members in his regional New South Wales electorate, said it "defies belief" that the church had no role in coordinating volunteers. Gareth Hales said the volunteers were not acting as church members but as "members of concerned business groups and members of private citizens". Gee replied: "I, for one, am not buying what you are selling but I do appreciate you giving evidence today."

Source: The Guardian.