Victorian inquiry hears Sunday school teacher jailed for abusing nine children was protected by church leader in Geelong, Australia

Former members of the Geelong Revival Centre (GRC) told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry that a Sunday school teacher jailed for sexually abusing nine children was protected by the leader of his fundamentalist church. The claims were made at the first hearing of the inquiry into cults and organised fringe groups, which was launched in April after allegations of coercive practices were detailed in LiSTNR’s podcast series *Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder*. The church has not publicly responded to the claims in the podcast.

Catherine and Ryan Carey, former GRC members, gave evidence at the hearing. According to their testimony, parents who discovered the abuse reportedly reported it to the church leader instead of to police. Catherine Carey testified that the GRC leader contacted police only after learning the man had turned himself in.

Ryan Carey told the inquiry that the teacher held a valid working with children check at the time of the abuse. He described the government’s screening process as a Band-Aid on an amputee. He also said the abuser was allowed to destroy evidence for two and a half days before police were contacted. These are the Careys’ accounts as reported; the inquiry hearing is the source of them, and the reports do not describe any independent finding on these points.

A separate report, from Mamamia, traces the background of the GRC. The church was run by Pastor Noel Hollins from its inception in 1972 until his death in April 2024. It oversees a network of 50 chapters across Australia and internationally that follow a similar doctrine. Journalist Richard Baker released an investigation into the GRC in late 2024 through the podcast *Pray Harder*. Since then, Baker has been contacted by 45 more alleged victims, in addition to the dozens he had already spoken to.

That report also covers a criminal case. In August 2024, Todd Hubers, described as a senior member of the church, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing young boys over seven years. Hubers admitted to abusing boys aged between six and 12. The Mamamia report does not say whether Hubers is the Sunday school teacher described at the inquiry, and the Guardian report does not name the teacher, so the two accounts cannot be confirmed as referring to the same person from the sources provided.

Baker reported that children who grew up in the church were taught to fear going to hell, fear the end of the world, and fear being physically punished. The Mamamia report states that corporal punishment is practiced in the GRC. Protecting children from harm is the basic duty that the testimony and the criminal case both raise, and the public record here concerns whether that duty was met (Proverbs 31:8-9).