Plymouth Brethren Church Denies Coordinating Election Campaigning as Liberals Face Calls to Condemn It

Reports in 2025 said the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, also known as the Exclusive Brethren, had come under scrutiny for its involvement in election campaigning. One report said the church had used intimidation tactics to influence voters during the 2025 federal election and urged the Liberal Party to condemn it. Multiple candidates had noted an unusual number of Liberal volunteers at pre-poll booths, particularly in closely contested seats.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke asked Opposition Leader Angus Taylor to condemn the church during Question Time. Burke also tabled a document that he said showed connections between the Plymouth Brethren and the Liberal Party, including the involvement of Sam Jackson Hope, a former staffer to Peter Dutton who now works for Taylor.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the church allegedly paid neo-Nazi associates to monitor and harass MPs. Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who chairs the parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election, said he would compel church leaders Bruce Hales and his son Gareth to account for their actions. According to Laxale, the Liberal Party had received multiple invitations to take part in the inquiry but had not yet done so.

On September 14, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article titled “Tail, film, heckle”: Inside the Brethren’s secret election influence plot with the far-right. The church responded with a statement denying that it had coordinated or funded political activities during the 2025 federal election. It said it was not involved in, did not coordinate efforts in, and made no payments or donations during the election period. The church said that individual members, not the organization, had been involved in such activities. It also stated that it opposes antisemitism, a position that fits with its response to the allegations of payments to neo-Nazi associates, which it has not accepted (Proverbs 18:17).

A follow-up article published by The Age on September 26 criticized the church’s leader over alleged antisemitic remarks. The church has denied making those remarks. The reports do not agree on the church’s role in campaign activity: the church says the organization was not involved, while the earlier reports described coordinated activity and payments as allegations under examination.

The church’s spokesperson, Lloyd Grimshaw, appeared before the Joint Standing Committee into the 2025 Federal Election.