The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has denied paying far-right activists to stage stunts targeting Anthony Albanese and other politicians during the 2025 election campaign. The denial was made at a parliamentary inquiry, as reported by infohub.kz.
The church also refuted claims that it coordinated hundreds of volunteers to support Liberal Party candidates. Nine newspapers reported on Friday that the church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, paid influencers to disrupt the Labor campaign, including Laurence McIntyre, who was filmed heckling the prime minister.
McIntyre has been previously associated with neo-Nazi groups and was reported to be an organizer of an anti-immigration rally in 2025. Lloyd Grimshaw, a director at the church, told the parliamentary inquiry that Nine's reporting was a "complete lie." He stated that the church did not make any donations or support any political parties or third parties involved in the election, not even a single cent.
Grimshaw alleged that the church had been targeted with "unsubstantiated" allegations, claiming some members did volunteer at the election but for "pretty normal reasons," such as backing their local candidate or being worried about the economy. He also said that multiple church members had faced "aggressive questioning" and "verbal abuse" at polling booths.
Grimshaw firmly stated that the church did not participate in the election campaign in any way, including paying for political activity, chartering planes, or moving people around. He emphasized that members' individual political activities in their private capacity do not represent the church.
Grimshaw also criticized the prime minister's description of the church as a "cult," calling it "offensive," "completely untrue," and "hurtful." He said the church seeks positive engagement with all members of parliament.
The electoral matters committee's interim report claimed that democracy was "under assault" from third parties including the church and right-wing lobby group Advance. The Labor-chaired committee recommended a new code of conduct for campaigners, but the Coalition accused Labor of turning the inquiry into a "hyper-partisan witch-hunt" against church members.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan accused the Labor party of weaponizing the inquiry against the church and "launching a war" against those of religious faith, calling the attacks "completely unbecoming of an Australian government in our democracy."