00:01Another thing that popped up this morning is a piece of reporting that's really driven
00:06a lot of the questioning at these hearings so far.
00:09Now nine newspapers are reporting that members of the Christian sect paid far right figures
00:14across the country to track and heckle candidates from Labor, the Greens and independents in
00:21a bid to disrupt the Albanese government's plans during pre-polling and out on the hustings
00:26last year during the 2025 federal election.
00:30Now up first in these hearings giving evidence is the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and
00:35they've been represented by Lloyd Grimshaw, the director, and he's appeared via video link
00:41this morning and has currently been questioned for almost three hours now.
00:45Now Mr Grimshaw firstly spoke about some of the church members who were campaigning in
00:50a personal capacity at booths last year and he said that they were subjected to discrimination
00:56and what he's described as extraordinary attacks.
00:59Now in terms of responding to that piece of reporting I was speaking about earlier, he
01:04claimed it's a complete lie.
01:06He's denied that the church donated to any organised donations for any political candidate
01:11or a political party.
01:13He's also denied that the church encouraged members to participate in campaigning for the
01:19Liberal Party during the campaign as well.
01:21He did say that if church members did participate in any campaigning, it was in a personal capacity
01:28and he stressed that there's a difference between the individual and the church.
01:32Here's a little bit of what Mr Grimshaw has had to say so far in the hearings this morning.
01:37Our church did not participate in the election or coordinate the political involvement of those
01:42who did.
01:43That is not to say that some church members did not participate in the 2025 election.
01:48Clearly they did.
01:50They did this under their own steam and under their own name.
01:53My church did not make any donations or support in any way political parties or third parties
02:00who were involved in the election.
02:01Well we've heard from two senior government ministers this morning so far and they spoke
02:06prior to the commencement of these hearings but obviously reacting to this reporting.
02:11Now Health Minister Mark Butler was on the radio this morning saying that he wants these
02:16reports investigated and that he also wants more information from the Liberal Party about
02:22their alleged involvement in all of this.
02:24We've also heard from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke who issued a similar statement saying
02:30that he wants the Liberal Party and One Nation to explain their involvement and whether they
02:36would be welcoming of these individuals.
02:39Now Tony Burke spoke about the fact that people can campaign and be out on booths and participate
02:44in democracy in that way but he said allegedly people being paid to intimidate, physically
02:49intimidate people for their political views.
02:52That's where he draws the line.
02:54Here's a little bit of what he had to say this morning describing these reports as chilling.
02:59What's at stake here matters and matters for the security of everybody and matters for
03:03the security of the nation as well.
03:07There are countries throughout the world where people get paid to engage in physical intimidation
03:13around election time.
03:15The thought that Australia might have just been added to that list should send a chill among
03:23everybody who loves this country.
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