Secret Brethren network hired far-right agitators to disrupt Australian election events

Encrypted group chats obtained by investigators show that senior members of the Exclusive Brethren, notably Gareth Hales and Lester Sharples, organized a covert campaign to harass Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other left-leaning candidates during the 2025 federal election. The plan involved providing real-time intelligence on politicians' movements to far-right agitators like Laurence McIntyre, who stormed a Brisbane press scrum, and Chris de Bruyne, who arranged video-recorded hecklings.

Participants, many linked to neo-Nazi or pro-Putin circles, were paid between a few hundred and $1,000 per stunt, with cash delivered in duffel bags and later routed through companies such as Sante Global. The Brethren also financed a shadow advertising operation promoting Peter Dutton, while mobilising thousands of rank-and-file members to vote for the Coalition in secret. Although the church publicly denies any political involvement, a parliamentary inquiry is probing the allegations after multiple MPs, including Monique Ryan, called for accountability. The revelations raise concerns about undisclosed political influence and the use of extremist actors in Australian elections.