Exclusive Brethren leader denies directing Liberal campaign help

Exclusive Brethren leader Bruce Hales has denied any role in coordinating church members to campaign for the Liberals at the 2025 federal election.

Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry on 16 October 2026, Hales said he had 'no knowledge' of the campaigning events and 'no part in planning them', according to footage of the hearing reported by The Guardian.

MPs questioned him about church members' presence at polling booths and signage reading 'Make Australia smile again'. Hales denied involvement in campaigning for the Liberals.

He said his sons may have deliberately kept him in the dark. It was 'quite likely', he said, that they had not sought his permission over the campaigning.

The questioning prompted clashes among MPs during the hearing. The exchanges were sharp at times, but the committee did not resolve the competing accounts on the day.

The hearing was held by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the parliamentary committee examining electoral matters. It had resolved in September to invite Hales and Gareth Hales to give evidence at a public hearing, which it said would be broadcast live, according to Parliament House.

The 16 October hearing concerned allegations that the church campaigned in the 2025 election and paid neo-Nazi associates to harass the prime minister, as described by The Sydney Morning Herald. Those claims remain allegations.

The church has rejected claims it coordinated volunteers and a campaign for the Coalition. It has also denied secretly paying far-right influencers to stage election stunts targeting Anthony Albanese and other politicians.

Hales' full opening statement to the inquiry was published on the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church website.