Plymouth Brethren Church denies involvement in alleged political harassment in 2025 election campaign

The Plymouth Brethren, also known as the Exclusive Brethren, are a conservative Christian group with origins in the 1820s in Ireland and England. They split in 1848 into the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is the largest of the Exclusive Brethren sects, with approximately 50,000 followers worldwide, many of them in Australia.

During the 2025 federal election campaign, investigative reports suggested that some members may have tried to influence the result by associating with far-right figures. Reports from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age later suggested that senior church members may have funded activists to disrupt campaigns targeting Labor, Greens and independent candidates. According to those reports, the alleged operation included heckling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, disrupting campaign events and tracking his movements. Senior church figures reportedly gave activists information about Albanese’s whereabouts, including through flight-tracking applications. Financial records reportedly show payments of thousands of dollars to some activists, funneled through intermediaries.

Former Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler alleged that church members engaged in “intimidating” behaviour at polling booths during the 2025 federal election. She made the claims at a federal parliamentary inquiry sitting in Darwin. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, also known as the Exclusive Brethren, has denied any involvement in the election campaign. The Country Liberal Party’s president said he has “no knowledge” of his party requesting campaign assistance from the group.

The inquiry is examining whether the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church influenced the 2025 federal election. Bruce Hales, the church’s global head, became the highest-ranking member to testify. Hales denied any direct involvement in political matters and said he had no authority to direct members. He said he learned of the alleged campaign activities through the media, not through internal directives.