Day 30 cont ️

“A separatist #ChristianSect which tells its members to hate the world and which objects to voting is campaigning for the #Liberal and #Nationals parties ahead of Saturday’s federal election. The #PlymouthBrethrenChristianChurch, formerly known as the #ExclusiveBrethren, has dispatched hundreds of its members to pre-polling booths in #MarginalSeats while instructing them to keep secret that they are members of the controversial #religion.

Workers in five marginal seats in Victoria and NSW told this masthead they had encountered 20 or more Brethren members wearing #Liberal or #National campaign T-shirts handing out how-to-vote cards, some of whom identified themselves as members of the sect. The seats – #Kooyong, #Gorton, #Hawke, #Gilmore and #Calare – are held by #Labor or #independents.

The accounts were backed by #LaborParty campaign sources, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to speak publicly, who claimed the Brethren members were active in seats in #NSW, #Victoria, #Queensland and #Tasmania, including #Bennelong, #Parramatta, #Whitlam, #Macquarie, #Paterson, #Lyons, #Reid and #Blair.”

#AusPol / #extremism / #RightWing / #LNP / #Coalition / #voting <https://archive.md/osEeV> / <https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/exclusive-brethren-don-t-vote-but-are-secretly-campaigning-for-the-coalition-20250428-p5luny.html> (paywall).