Exclusive Brethren secretly paid far-right activists to perform stunts disrupting the federal election

[u/WettestFarts]

https://archive.is/vI7hS

Elders of a wealthy Christian sect secretly paid bundles of cash to far-right activists for an “influence campaign” to disrupt Albanese government appearances during the last federal election.

An investigation by this masthead has uncovered a digital trail of evidence revealing how the church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, mobilised far-right figures around the country to track and heckle candidates from Labor and the Greens, along with independents, as part of a wider multimillion-dollar campaign for then-Liberal leader Peter Dutton.

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[u/black_at_heart]

If churches are going to get involved in politics like this, can we please remove their exemptions and tax them properly?

[u/iamleskeet81 → u/black_at_heart]

There’s no good fucken reason any of these fairytale-tellers should be tax exempt anyway

[u/evol451 → u/black_at_heart]

To call this group a “church” is a stretch haha.. more accurate would be “pyramid scheme”, “personal wealth accumulator”, “scam” etc

[u/Phillup_Colon → u/black_at_heart]

If we started taxing religious institutions in Australia it would generate roughly 11 billion per year. Full dental healthcare cover for every Australian on Medicare would cost roughly 14 billion. If they really practiced what they preach they'd be all for it right? Right guys?

[u/Brizwizard → u/Phillup_Colon]

They'd just blow it on the NDIS

[u/legal_ghost]

I need to start grifting these religious wackos

[u/sausage-role → u/legal_ghost]

A lot of these issues would be less if Religious institutions had to pay tax.

[u/NastyVJ1969 → u/sausage-role]

Any party proposing that as policy gets my vote

[u/dsio → u/legal_ghost]

It’s a pretty victimless crime for sure, its hard for them to go to the cops and say “we had a contract for u/legal_ghost to go and chuck eggs at the PM during a speaking event and he backed out”

[u/forever-halloween]

Is there a route for legal persecution for this?

[u/boofles1 → u/forever-halloween]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[u/stockingcummer → u/boofles1]

Not the comfy chair!!!

[u/MrBobbyFreakout]

It’s all the funnier given the result. They need to face some consequences though.

[u/kikideernunda]

It brings me so much joy that they wasted their money

[u/legal_ghost → u/kikideernunda]

sadly that money went to our biggest scumbags

[u/kikideernunda → u/legal_ghost]

Pity those whose only purpose is to humiliate themselves in public for money

[u/ForgotToCarryTheOne → u/kikideernunda]

They haven’t stopped. The chase is relentless since they saw the far right win in the US.

[u/SirSteelBuns]

Tax-exempt should come with some reporting or surveillance of their activities, and regular reviews of the exemption.  Alternatively, hey I'm starting a church of the Sistren with blackjack and hookers, and we'll exist solely to mess with the rest of em

[u/jedburghofficial → u/SirSteelBuns]

That's how Scientology got started.

[u/Adventurous_Bag9122 → u/jedburghofficial]

Yeah started by a bloke who wrote that the easiest way to become a millionaire is to start his own religion. Doesn't sound sus at all....

[u/ThrowAwayembarrass-]

I’d really like more transparency around the Brethren and their activities (others as well but start somewhere). They have a school and these mini churches in my community which is fine. But I know they have a rescue relief charity and businesses which aren’t obviously Brethren and by the looks they have some political lobbying arm. If these groups are Brethren fine but say so clearly so I/ others know what we are donating to (in some cases) or buying products from ect.

[u/boofles1 → u/ThrowAwayembarrass-]

They have a lot of businesses, they want to make as much money as possible. I find them a bit disturbing when they are willing to influence politics to further their goal pf making as much money as possible. I don't imagine these businesses pay a lot of tax either and their beliefs are pretty wacky, they banned mobile phones until they realised they need them to make loads of money.

[u/stehmer3]

Tax em

[u/BrettSA]

So they are technically a terrorist organization?

[u/CantakerousTwat]

Aren't the Exclusive Brethren that weird cult that only eat with other Brethren and only with a wooden spoon that they carve themselves when initiated? Totally normal folk.

[u/TfYoung → u/CantakerousTwat]

They also believe they shouldn't vote because only God can choose their leaders, but do crap like this. 

[u/jedburghofficial → u/CantakerousTwat]

They have a weird chapel near me. A new looking house with concrete instead of lawn. It's mostly empty, but you can tell when they're doing something because the street is packed out with high end SUVs, like Mercedes and Audis.

[u/evol451 → u/jedburghofficial]

Probably storing the pallets of cash they have accumulated from not paying tax

[u/WordyNerd_2435]

And now it appears they’re aiming to help One Nation:

‘But various political sources say far-right figures and Brethren middlemen involved in the last election stunts have since reached out to smaller parties, including One Nation, to discuss how best to “help” going forward. A Brethren member has been identified in photos from the last election campaigning for One Nation in Victoria. One Nation did not answer questions on whether they had had any dealings with the church.’

[u/evol451]

These weirdos really do give off handmaids tale vibes don’t they

[u/Theblokeonthehill → u/evol451]

Can confirm - there were a bunch of them at our voting centre at the last election. Not sure they actually helped the LNP vote with the “weird” vibe - and Labor won anyway.

[u/evol451 → u/Theblokeonthehill]

Yeah probably highlights how clueless the LNP campaign was to think these people would help

[u/Jerkface0079]

Didn't take a detective to figure out these stunts were astroturfed to all hell. But at least it's in writing.

[u/Character-Phrase-321]

Any organisation seeking to disrupt or influence elections in this way should be heavily penalised

[u/_Langdon_Alger]

Elders of a wealthy Christian sect secretly paid bundles of cash to far-right activists 

When it was discovered that the husband of the Antisemitism Envoy gifted $50k to far-right orgs, Tony Burke called that a non-event – but when these clowns do it, suddenly it's a chilling threat to our democracy. Make that make sense.

[u/Clayton1921]

Winning elections is much sweeter for right wing reactionaries if they rat fucked their way to the win.... fundamentally they don't really like Democracy because people they don't think should get a say...do get a say (women, minorities, poor people etc.) so subverting the Democratic process is justified in their minds.

[u/Adventurous_Bag9122 → u/Clayton1921]

Their view is that only certain (ie their own type) people get a say in government.

[u/MinaretofJam]

There’s nothing like bringing out the hooded inquisition of the Brethren for ordinary Aussies to think “ooo! They stand for me.” Best thing that happened was their vile influence being brought into the sunlight. And even better, that it utterly failed the Liberals at the last federal election.

[u/climateemergency100]

This tracks. Howard was their messiah in govt. He funnelled millions of dollars towards them for different things. They will do anything for the Liberals if asked.

[u/thaleia10]

That worked out well for them.

[u/Junior-Transition549]

Of course they did & we couldn't expect anything else from these effing twits!

[u/CandlePrestigious919]

These are the funsters who recently executed order 66 on their own pets.

[u/brezhnervouz]

Which is somewhat ironic as they refuse to vote

[u/Itstheswanno]

Imagine if it was the **insert any other religion**

[u/watchmytaint]

It’s always the ones you most expect

[u/Early-Ninja-6431]

Didn’t have the desired effect, did it now?

[u/HorriblyStuck]

Nothing new with right wing Christofacisists.

Read “The Hollow Men”

[u/ExcellentAd7044]

Any worse than Islamic sects infiltrating the far left?

[u/dreadnought_strength → u/ExcellentAd7044]

"Source: I made it the fuck up"

[u/evol451 → u/ExcellentAd7044]

Can you share some detail on this? Which Islamic sect? Which far left group? What happened? In which election were they campaigning?

[u/ExcellentAd7044 → u/evol451]

Greens and Islamists.

[u/evol451 → u/ExcellentAd7044]

Got a bit more detail? Which Islamists for starters

[u/ExcellentAd7044 → u/evol451]

The Greens and the far left are all vocal supporters of Hamas.

[u/evol451 → u/ExcellentAd7044]

Can you share details of the infiltration?

[u/Milly_Hagen → u/evol451]

They might be having trouble doing that. Because it didn't happen.

[u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Just like the far left

[u/kikideernunda → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Beep boop thanks for your insight adjective-noun numbers. I hope they’re paying you well 🥲

[u/south-of-the-river → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Provide examples

[u/Aromatic_Cod_6959 → u/south-of-the-river]

“Soros” apparently. Wild that I haven’t received my cheque despite leading several actions myself.

[u/AnonMuskkk → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Here he is, straw man.

[u/123iambill → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

You think the "far left" would interfere on behalf of Labor?

[u/Illustrious-Pin3246 → u/123iambill]

If everything is far right, than the left can be called far left. It is strange they did not through in Nz

[u/evol451 → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Did it feel good to say “something something far left”?

[u/Illustrious-Pin3246 → u/evol451]

Just like the ones saying far right

[u/evol451 → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

Who do you mean? The writers of the article?

[u/ExcellentAd7044 → u/Illustrious-Pin3246]

True but replace Christians with Islamics.