PBCC leader to be called to parliamentary hearing in Australia — ABC News Australia
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) spiritual leader Bruce Hales is to appear before an Australian parliamentary committee amid claims that church members may have interfered in the 2025 federal election campaign. As ABC News Australia reports, the committee has again invited PBCC representatives to answer questions that remain unresolved.
Claims of intimidation
Several politicians said that PBCC members who volunteered for the Liberal Party at early voting centres in key electorates intimidated volunteers from other political forces and candidates.
An investigation by Nine publications also included allegations that PBCC members paid far-right influencers, including people linked to neo-Nazis, to follow the prime minister and shout remarks at him. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Labor Party MP Jerome Laxale, described these media reports as troubling.
Hales, whom the church calls its most senior elder, was warned that he could be subpoenaed if he refuses to appear. Previously, in August, PBCC director Lloyd Grimshaw had already given evidence before the committee.
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The church's position and Reynolds' testimony
PBCC denied having any contact with political parties or third-party groups during the campaign, as well as the existence of a formal arrangement with the Coalition. The church said authorities were trying to force Hales to answer for the actions of individual members of the community, although PBCC itself, according to its position, did not participate in the election.
Hales himself said that he was not involved in the 2025 election either directly or indirectly and did not ask anyone to join the campaign. In a letter to committee members, he said that he is responsible for matters of doctrine, while the private lives and civic choices of church members are their personal affairs.
Former Liberal Party senator Linda Reynolds said that during the campaign she met with two PBCC members who were introduced as small business owners. According to her, they offered help with the campaign while also requesting confidential financial information. Reynolds also said that she saw church members at campaign booths who were coordinated and instructed by people not connected to local election teams.
At the same time, Reynolds stressed that she was not making allegations of wrongdoing and that the Liberal Party should provide explanations regarding processes within the party. During his August appearance, Grimshaw denied that the church coordinated electoral activity and spoke of a strong culture of volunteering among PBCC members.
