Exclusive Brethren chief's son spotted on hustings supporting Liberal Party

Sydney Morning Herald

30-04-2025

The presence of a Hales family member sends a clear signal to hundreds of other Brethren volunteers, and the companies they work for, that taking time off to push for a Peter Dutton victory on Saturday is endorsed from the top of the separatist global church, say former church members speaking anonymously for fear of repercussions.
The Coalition has denied it has any agreement with the Brethren and had 'never asked volunteers or members what their religious beliefs are'. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday described it as a 'cult' and demanded to know from the Coalition what was the 'quid pro quo' for the support.
The church has denied any co-ordinated effort for Dutton, insisting the mass movement of people was a spontaneous action by individuals.
'We are really looking forward to your stories about how the Catholic and Anglican churches are controlling any electoral activity of their parishioners,' Brethren spokesman Lloyd Grimshaw said on Wednesday.
This masthead reported on Wednesday that the Victorian Catholic Education Authority had written to parents in key seats in that state urging a vote against independent and minor party candidates.
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is a charity and could risk its charitable status if it were proved to be involved in party political activity. In addition, election integrity expert Joo-Cheong Tham called for an investigation into the Brethren's activities under Commonwealth electoral law.
Tham, a professor at Melbourne Law School and director of the Centre for Public Integrity, said any organisation that used paid workers to campaign, or provided them paid time off, should disclose the amount as an 'in-kind contribution'.
Grimshaw said nobody co-ordinating the campaign was being paid.
In Gorton, Carol Fletcher, wife of candidate John Fletcher, thanked Brethren members in a Liberal Party group chat and invited them to the party's election-night function.
'I have mentioned it to lots of the boys but also missed many (there are so many),' one message from Carol reads. 'Please extend our invite to everyone … without all theirs/your support we would not be where we are today. We are so very grateful.'
In another message, Fletcher quotes legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's religious belief.
The Brethren have cited religious freedom in defence of their actions and, in a circular to volunteers, suggest that if asked which church they are from, volunteers should reply: 'I don't think it's appropriate for you to ask my religion … my religion has nothing to do with me volunteering.'
The Brethren representative in the Gorton group chat, Harvey McAlpin, replied: 'Absolutely I am happy to defend the volunteers' rights regardless of faith, race or gender.'
He also expressed interest in having his cohort scrutinise the election count on Saturday night.
Lavinia Richardson, a former Brethren member, has revealed how a number of businesses linked to the church donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party without public disclosure.
Richardson left the church in 2023 and has no contact with her family. Before leaving, she worked for an accounting firm in Victoria owned by a Brethren member, and one service they provided was to advise on the legal and tax implications of donating to the Liberal Party.
'Around election time, most of our clients, as part of quarterly meeting would say to us, 'With the election coming up we want to pay x amount to the Liberal Party, so how do we structure it?'
'Most companies did it. Small mum and dad companies would do a couple of thousand and then big companies would make it $20,000, $30,000. Even $50,000.'
Federally and at the state level, the law requires donors to report money given above a certain threshold. In Victoria, the threshold is $1000.
To avoid reporting their donations, Richardson said, Brethren businessmen would gift small amounts of money, or make distributions from a trust, to enough individuals – family members or trusted staff – to pass on to the party or candidate. Each individual donation fell under the threshold.
'Then it was not easily linked back to the businesses or the church in general,' she said.
Tham said public disclosure should be made when the total amount of their gifts to a party or candidate exceeds the disclosure threshold, even if the contribution is split into smaller sums or the donor funds others to make contributions.
Grimshaw said issues around donations were a matter for the businesses involved not the church.
Asked if it was credible that the current campaign for the Coalition had not been centrally co-ordinated, Richardson said: 'It's absolutely garbage. It's absolutely co-ordinated.'
A similar campaign, though on a significantly smaller scale, had been launched in 2022 for Scott Morrison's re-election.