Key facts
- Bruce Hales denied planning, coordinating, directing, or funding election activities.
- Gareth Hales denied his company paid activists to disrupt campaigns.
- Bruce Hales' sermon phrases were seen on Liberal party endorsements.
The global leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Bruce Hales, denied any knowledge of or involvement in church members volunteering for the Liberal party during the 2025 Australian federal election. The sect also rejected claims it coordinated volunteers and secretly paid far-right figures to stage stunts against the prime minister and other Labor MPs. Hales stated he had no involvement, planning, coordination, direction, or funding related to any members participating in the election. His son, Gareth Hales, denied his company paid activists Morgan C Jonas and Chris de Bruyne to disrupt campaigns, stating volunteers were acting as private citizens. The parliamentary committee hearing was marked by clashes, with Coalition members accusing Labor and crossbench MPs of religious persecution and running a protection racket. Bruce Hales' sermon on April 20, 2025, contained phrases later seen on Liberal party endorsements, though he denied it was a call to action.