Members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, colloquially known as the Exclusive Brethren, helped campaign for the Liberals at the 2025 election across Australia, but its leadership has denied any official link between the party and the church.
Brethren were able to vote and participate in democracy on their own free will and had done so at the election, the church stated, as a parliamentary inquiry into the election probes the relationship between the Liberals and the church.
Former members say this isn't how the church operates, with a rigid hierarchical structure where the leader makes all the decisions.
"Growing up, we were clearly taught that we did not participate in politics," Cassandra Davies, who left the church in 2005, told a parliamentary inquiry into the election on Friday.
"The reasoning was simple: God appoints leaders and participating in elections was seen as interfering with that process.
"That wasn't a casual view, it was a firmly held doctrine."
Ben Woodbury, who left the church a decade ago, said it taught people how to get out of voting by telling them which bible scriptures to quote for a religious exemption.
Mr Woodbury said one person he spoke to from the church told him they felt deeply uncomfortable about campaigning as it was inconsistent with how they were raised.
A second member told him they were instructed to vote for a specific party, regardless of personal views, Mr Woodbury said.
There was a strong culture of conformity within the church and people acted at the behest of the leader, with those who went against directives ostracised from their family and community, Ms Davies said.
This pointed to a larger, co-ordinated campaign from the top, she told the inquiry, giving an example about how she needed permission from the leadership to meet with the person she was set to marry when she was younger.
Both former members noted the conduct wasn't unlawful and people could support whatever party they wanted - with Ms Davies even noting she was traditionally a Liberal voter - but there needed to be transparency and no coercion.
Liberal MPs have raised concerns about the church being unduly targeted, as people could freely campaign for whoever they liked, and pointed to Labor's association with unions.
Labor senator Corinne Mulholland made the point third-party campaigners like unions need to register with the Australian Electoral Commission so people are aware they're involved as the inquiry probes the threshold for disclosure.
Third-party registration also carries transparency obligations like financial disclosures.
Ms Davies said it was her opinion there was some sort of kickback for the church as it was a major risk to openly campaign in an election and throw themselves into the public eye, as well as for the leadership's standing if the campaign was unsuccessful.
"They wouldn't do this or take this risk without there being something to gain," she said.
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