Exclusive Brethren MET School Receives Record Public Funding per Student

The Exclusive Brethren, a religious group with 15,000 members in Australia and 40,000 worldwide, operates a private school known as MET, which has received record funding from the government. According to data from the MySchool website, the school receives $800 more in public funding per student than Homebush West, a public school facing overcrowding issues. This funding exceeds that of Liverpool Public, a school with a significantly lower socio-educational advantage rating, by $3 per student.

The school, part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, has been under scrutiny since June 2016, following revelations that the group had concealed instances of alleged child sexual abuse. The Exclusive Brethren, known for their strict doctrines, prohibit members from socializing with “worldly” people and ban those who leave the church from contacting their families, including their own children.

The group first gained political attention in 2004 when it contributed substantial funds to former Prime Minister John Howard’s re-election campaign. The Liberal Party referred to the group as “friends” in internal documents. Despite criticism from figures like Kevin Rudd, who described the group as “an extremist cult that breaks up families,” successive governments have continued to provide the school with substantial public funding.

The school, which serves 1,000 students across 11 campuses, receives over $10,000 per student in public funding. This is despite parents and brethren businesses contributing up to $10 million annually in donations, three times the amount of school fees. A 2005 Australian Tax Office ruling found that using tax-free donations to offset fees was illegal.

In a statement through its public relations firm, the church denied accepting donations that would violate tax laws, though the statement was cut off in the source material. The school’s funding levels have remained high, with over 600 public schools in New South Wales receiving less per student than the MET school.

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