Exclusive Brethren hearing LIVE updates: Church leader Bruce Hales to appear over allegations church campaigned in 2025 election, paid neo-Nazi associates to harass PM

7.43am

How to interpret the hearing you’re about to see

By Michael Bachelard

This is a historic day – it’s like the Olympics for current and former members of the 56,000-strong fellowship of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, also known as the Exclusive Brethren – a group the prime minister has called a “cult”.

The church’s supreme leader, Man of God Bruce D. Hales, has been called, for the first time, to answer to the “worldly” authorities for what happened at the 2025 federal election.

The Brethren were behind a huge, two-pronged campaign for Peter Dutton. They disguised their normal dress and manned polling booths in the thousands. Former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has confirmed they were pushed on local campaigns from Liberal head office, even if local campaigns didn’t want them.

Even more secretly, senior elders coordinated and paid for a parallel campaign of far-right figures and neo-Nazi associates who harassed left-leaning politicians at public events.

Hales is giving evidence today, even though, after providing a submission in response to questions, he said: “I assume my attendance is no longer required”. His assumption was wrong. So what can we expect?

Show more