Labor MPs claim members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church “aggressively” overran polling booths in the 2025 federal election in support of centre-right Liberal Party candidates.

Also known as the Exclusive Brethren, the group was referred to as a “cult” by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year, a title the church strongly denies.

The MPs’ claims come following August’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ Inquiry into the 2025 Federal Election, where the church’s director, Merrick Grimshaw, gave evidence refuting accusations of harassment, intimidation and a coordinated effort spanning multiple cities.

Speaking on the subject in Parliament on Sept. 15, Labor Member for Whitlam Carol Berry said that during the 2025 election campaign she witnessed conduct at polling booths that “does not belong in a free and respectable democracy.”

“At my electorate, booths were aggressively overrun with Liberal Party campaign workers and materials, creating an environment that many voters found intimidating and overwhelming,” she said.

Berry claimed volunteers in the cohort were inappropriate towards women, including herself.

“While volunteers from most parties and independent campaigns conducted themselves respectfully, the behaviour that caused concern was largely associated with Liberal Party booth operations involving members of the Exclusive Brethren,” she said.

“Their conduct and approach was out of step with what we all expect during elections.”

Berry’s claims were backed by fellow Labor MP for Reid Sally Sitou, who said she saw behaviour during that election that “undermined” the principles of democracy.

“In my electorate, members of the Exclusive Brethren were handing out for the Liberal Party,” she said.

“I witnessed an unprecedented influx of campaigners, aggressive behaviour and harassment and some voters told me that they were intimidated.”

Sitou also called for an explanation from the Liberal Party, amid allegations the campaigners had links to dubious groups.

“There have been disturbing allegations that the Exclusive Brethren may have recruited neo-Nazis to harass people at the election,” she said.

“That is not what voting in Australia should ever look like and the Liberal Party need to explain why they’ve chosen to undermine our democracy.”

Church Responds

A spokesperson for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church told The Epoch Times the allegations made by the MPs were “shocking.”

“On the International Day of Democracy, we have politicians standing up and saying that people from our religion should have no right—or less rights—to participate in the democratic process,” they said.

“Today one MP said: ‘In 2025 we saw a disgraceful assault on our democracy through the swarming of our beautiful community by members of the far right and the exclusive Brethren.’ Imagine instead of saying Exclusive Brethren, she said Jews or Muslims instead.

“It is our hope that the right of every Australian to participate in the democratic process, no matter what their religion, is protected and respected.”

According to the church’s website, members are allowed to participate in political campaigning, with voting considered optional based on individual beliefs.

When giving evidence to the federal inquiry, Grimshaw said Brethren members had backed parties across the spectrum, and that when they got involved in elections, they “brought friends.”

“When members of our church decide to get involved with a cause, they don’t do things by halves,” he said.

In an official statement, the church denied any organised approach to supporting any party, and further denied claims members had campaigned at voting booths alongside far right and neo-Nazi figures.

Taylor Claims Hypocrisy

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor previously told media that objection to Brethren input was hypocritical for Labor.

“They’re complaining about these people being on polling booths, but I tell you what, there’s no complaints when there’s militant unionists harassing our volunteers,” he said.

“When we see a unionist harass a volunteer, we don’t say the whole union movement should be shut down.”

The Epoch Times contacted the Liberal Party for additional comment.