January 19th, 2007 (EB News)

• Where art thou, Brethren? - Sydney Morning Herald, Australia


A small private company claims to be the sole source of a $370,000 campaign supporting the Howard Government at the last federal election. David Marr reports.

Mark Mackenzie lives in a modest house on the fringes of Sydney and runs a modest business selling and servicing pumps. He is a thoroughly inconspicuous man. Today may well be the first time his name has appeared in a newspaper. But this foot soldier in the secretive Exclusive Brethren is a mover and shaker in Australian politics.

A little company owned entirely by Mackenzie paid $370,000 to mount its own campaign for the return of the Howard Government during the last election. At least, that's the Australian Electoral Commission's answer to the riddle of whose money lay behind a slew of ads and pamphlets in three states in September and October 2004 attacking the Greens and calling for the re-election of John Howard.

The Exclusive Brethren denies masterminding the campaign despite all the aggressive ads and pamphlets being authorised by members of the sect. After complaints by the Greens leader, Bob Brown, the Electoral Commission began a year-long investigation into the source of the funding. Just before Christmas the commission announced Mackenzie's company, Willmac Enterprises Pty Ltd, was the campaign's sole paymaster.

"The AEC has found that expenditure on all seven advertisements and pamphlets was disclosed in a third party return by Willmac Enterprises following the 2004 federal election," the commission said on its website on December 19. "Further, there is no evidence that Willmac Enterprises received any gifts or donations from other sources that contributed to the costs of the advertisements and pamphlets."

So what was Willmac's line of business? Mackenzie declined to discuss the issue. He told the Herald he had many children, was pressed and "unable to comment at this point".

Now in his early 40s, Mark Mackenzie has been in the pump business for many years. Former members of the sect say he was once employed by a pump company in Parramatta owned and operated by a brother of Bruce Hales, the sect's world leader. Members of this tightly disciplined sect refer to their leader as the Elect Vessel, the Lord's Representative on Earth, the Paul of Our Day and Mr Bruce.

Mackenzie's little company, Willmac Enterprises, was incorporated three weeks before the 2004 election with Mackenzie as the sole shareholder and only director. Despite having capital of only $10, it almost immediately found a small fortune to pay for pro-Howard ads in the Adelaide Advertiser, the Hobart Mercury, suburban papers through the Adelaide Hills, and in John Howard's electorate of Bennelong.

Willmac also paid for the printing and distribution of a pamphlet bitterly resented by the Greens in Tasmania. Turning up in most letterboxes in the island state during the final weeks of the 2004 campaign, the Green Delusion leaflet was the only electoral material that actually carried Mackenzie's name. The fine print read: "Authorised by M. William Mackenzie, 11 Baden Powell Place, North Rocks, NSW, 2101."

The cost of all this - $370,461 - put the newcomer Willmac among the biggest spenders on independent or "third party" campaigns during the election. Mackenzie's company outspent all the usual suspects: Right to Life ($30,555), the Australian Conservation Foundation ($127,099), the Australian Health Insurance Association Ltd ($196,642), the Wilderness Society ($229,073), the National Union of Students ($255,307), and others.

The fingerprints of the Exclusive Brethren all over this campaign remained undiscovered for nearly a year. Only when the Green Delusion leaflet turned up in letterboxes all over New Zealand during that country's September 2005 election did Greens officials in Australia go back to ads and pamphlets from 2004 to discover how many were authorised by members of the sect. Senator Christine Milne said: "We found there was a systematic exercise all over Australia."

Under Australian law that would seem to require the Exclusive Brethren to file an electoral return "setting out details of all electoral expenditure incurred by or with the authority of members of the group". The Brethren has never done this.

Instead, a spokesman, Warwick John, claimed in September 2005 that the pro-Howard campaign was financed by "several individual Sydney businessmen" who happened to be believers.

That was the line. Daniel Hales, another of the Elect Vessel's brothers, told the Herald last year there was no church involvement in the 2004 campaign: "You've got to allow for spontaneity." And Senator Eric Abetz - a great defender of the sect and at the time the minister responsible for the electoral commission - told Parliament in June last year: "It was not the Exclusive Brethren. It was a number of individuals, as I understand it, that placed advertisements."

Never mentioned by the Exclusive Brethren all this time was Willmac Enterprises Pty Ltd and its claim to be the only source of funds and sole paymaster of a $370,000 pro-Howard advertising blitz. Athol Greene, one of the most respected leaders of the sect, invited the Herald to fax him details of the case. We asked how the revelation of Willmac's role was to be understood "in the light of all that has been said on this subject by Brethren leaders over they years". He did not reply.

For Bob Brown, the late appearance of Mackenzie's little company in this saga is further proof that the campaign against the Greens and for the Government in 2004 was highly orchestrated. "My bead on the Exclusive Brethren is that they have legal advice and anything inside the law is fine by them and there is no deceit or trickery aimed at putting off the scent that they won't go to if they're safe in doing it," he says.

For more than 150 years, devotees of this prosperous faith have been forbidden from meddling in worldly politics. They are still forbidden to vote - and have exemption in law from doing so - but soon after Mr Bruce took over the church on the death of his father in 2002 members of the Exclusive Brethren began putting their names to political advertisements.

This revolutionary step has caused intense controversy inside the sect, though its followers are, on the whole, too terrified to contest what's happening. Those who question the Elect Vessel court expulsion from both the faith and their families.

The sect's move into politics has also been controversial in the outside world - or has been since its tactics were detected. That was not easy. The core complaint about the sect is not that it's out there campaigning for "family" values, business breaks and tough conservative leadership. It's free to do so. What critics object to are the lengths to which the sect goes to cover its tracks. As a Brethren campaigner said in America in 2004: "We like to fly beneath the radar."

Immediately after Howard's re-election, the Brethren was advertising in the US in support of the re-election of George Bush - "America is in Safe Hands" - and shaving it very fine with the Federal Election Commission. It plunged immediately and anonymously into a campaign against New Zealand's Civil Union Bill. Same-sex marriage is a big issue with the Brethren and after this drive it mounted a big and very secretive campaign to defeat similar legislation in Canada. Both these efforts failed.

By this time, the New Zealand National Party was becoming entangled with Brethren who were planning to invest more than $NZ1 million in the 2005 election.

The journalist Nicky Hager has revealed in his book The Hollow Men that the party's leader, Don Brash, drew steadily closer to the sect that year. Caught at the last minute denying knowledge of Brethren plans, Brash narrowly lost the poll. When Hager's book appeared late last year, Brash resigned his leadership.

Once New Zealand blew the sect's cover, the Australian Greens turned their sights on the Brethren. After attacking the secretive tactics of the sect in the Senate in late 2005, Bob Brown was asked to give whatever help he could to an inquiry by the Australian Electoral Commission. The question was: did the Exclusive Brethren need to file details of campaign expenditure from the 2004 federal election?

Brown gave the commission copies of ads and pamphlets and in a January 2006 letter also pointed out problems with the address Mackenzie had given on the Green Delusion pamphlet. "I am informed," wrote the senator, "that the electoral roll of 2003 does not have a Mackenzie at the address of 11 Baden Powell Road, North Rocks, but that the premises, which appeared deserted when visited last September, may be owned by the Exclusive Brethren."

It would emerge a few months later in a report by ABC radio's Background Briefing that several of the addresses given on electoral material by members of the sect in 2004 appeared to be bogus.

This followed a pattern already evident in New Zealand, America and Canada where, at the very least, the contact details provided were hardly candid. "That's just a sensible move to avoid persecution," Stephen Hales, another brother, told the Herald. "It avoids the mad hatter attack, isn't that fair?"

But Australian law requires everyone authorising electoral material to state where they "can usually be contacted during the day". The commission was to acknowledge problems with a number of the addresses given by sect members in the election, but showed no interest in investigating the issue.

Not even Brown's specific complaint about the North Rocks address was pursued. A commission spokesman, Phil Diak, said: "The AEC requires a formal complaint with appropriate evidence." Asked what evidence was required, he replied: "I wouldn't be able to predict that."

The commission tried only to follow the money - and came to accept Willmac's version of events. "The AEC conducted a very thorough investigation over 12 months in which it undertook several lines of inquiry," Diak said. "By following the trail of every advertisement/pamphlet listed back to the source of payment the investigation established they were all made by Willmac Enterprises."

But who was paying Willmac? The commission would not say what steps it took to rule out the perhaps obvious notion that suburban pump merchant Mark Mackenzie's company was a moneybox for the Exclusive Brethren. The commission found "no evidence that Willmac Enterprises received any gifts or donations from other sources that contributed to the costs of the advertisements and pamphlets".

For former Brethren all over the world pursuing evidence of hypocrisy in the sect under the leadership of Bruce Hales, and for Bob Brown defending his party against attack from these rich and shadowy figures on the Christian fringe, the commission's finding is not the end of the matter. "I think it is a highly deceptive and global campaign which is being slowly, slowly brought out into the light of day," says the senator.

He adds, citing the Bible: "As Rebecca at the well says, you are allowed to lie if deceiving is for the good of the Lord."

The Brethren remains resolutely out of sight, refusing to explain itself. Its leaders refuse to be photographed. Elder Athol Greene gave the Herald only this gnomic response to its inquiries: "As I understand it, we don't exist in the eyes of the law."
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• Where art thou, Brethren? - PDF version

• Sect member funded anti-Greens campaign - Sydney Morning Herald, Australia


A mystery Sydney businessman belonging to the Exclusive Brethren sect spent $370,000 on advertisements and pamphlets during the 2004 federal election, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

This finding follows a year-long investigation sparked by Senator Bob Brown into the funding of seven sets of advertisements and pamphlets in the last federal election. All attacked the Greens and called for the re-election of the Howard Government.

Though they were all authorised by members of the Exclusive Brethren, the sect's elders have always denied their church had any role in organising the campaign in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania.

The Electoral Commission has found that Willmac Enterprises Pty Ltd, a company wholly owned by Mark William Mackenzie, paid for all those ads and pamphlets in 2004. Mr Mackenzie is a sect member who runs a modest business selling and servicing pumps in Miranda.

This week, Mr Mackenzie told the Herald he was pressed and "unable to comment at this point". Sect leaders also declined to answer the Herald's questions.

According to Electoral Commission records, only three other organisations spent more than Willmac Enterprises to campaign on their own behalf during the 2004 elections. Willmac outspent the Wilderness Society, private health lobbyists, leading trade unions, the National Union of Students and even the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania.

Contrary to longstanding claims by the Exclusive Brethren, the commission found Willmac's $370,000 was all the company's own money. The commission concluded: "There is no evidence that Willmac Enterprises received any gifts or donations from other sources that contributed to the costs of the advertisements and pamphlets."

Since late 2005, Exclusive Brethren leaders have claimed the cost was met by several individual members of the sect all acting alone. A spokesman, Warwick John, told the Herald the advertisements had been financed by "several individual Sydney businessmen".

Senator Brown is not satisfied by the commission's findings. "The presentation of the Exclusive Brethren activities has been as individuals feeling strongly about spending maybe $10,000 each to join in an election campaign as every other citizen might do," he told the Herald. "But what the electoral office tells us is that it was all highly co-ordinated across the country. It was done by Willmac, which was set up just before the election and closed down just afterwards … The whole set-up was one of deceit."

The Electoral Commission did not investigate complaints first raised by Senator Brown that names and addresses given by sect members on that electoral material did not comply with requirements of the Electoral Act. In particular, Senator Brown accused Mr Mackenzie of naming an apparently deserted North Rocks property as his address during the campaign. This was also the address of Willmac Enterprises.

Phil Diak, a spokesman for the commission, said the senator had not presented "appropriate evidence" to commence an investigation. Asked what evidence the commission would require, Mr Diak said: "I wouldn't be able to predict that."
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• Sect member funded anti-Greens campaign - PDF version

• A principle of separation - Letters, The Australian


Michael McKenna’s article ("Court lets sect kids see dad, but not TV”, 15/1) reported on a court case involving a member of the Exclusive Brethren. The Brethren does not want to canvass details of the case but we do want to address some of the broader issues raised.

The Brethren community has a divorce rate far lower than the general Australian community, reflecting the importance we place on the family and keeping families together. When families go through difficulties, Brethren members provide a high level of pastoral care and support.

There are very few cases involving Brethren families that have been adjudicated in the Family Court. In such cases, the church always encourages its members to abide by the court’s decision. This is in keeping with the Exclusive Brethren’s approach which places a high emphasis on strict observance of the law of the land.

The Exclusive Brethren is a fundamentalist Christian church which holds to a principle of separation. The principle is based on our understanding of the Bible. This principle does not mean that members are prevented from all contact with the broader community, as your article suggests.

It’s true that members of the Exclusive Brethren Church, which is nearly 200 years old, have strong-held views and beliefs which are not widely shared. Those beliefs are honestly held and our members devote themselves to them.

Our Church does not, however, seek to impose those views on others. At all times, including in Family Court cases, we seek to live out our beliefs while also acting in accordance with the law.

Richard Garrett
Warwick Joyce
Graham Lewis

(Senior national representatives of Exclusive Brethren Church)

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Extracts:

What a lot of nonsense from the national representatives of the Exclusive Brethren Church. They claim to be a fundamentalist Christian Church when in fact they are a brainwashing and very dangerous paranoid cult. Their history shows the deliberately breaking up of family’s, marriages and removal of children, spiritual damage, loss of faith and guilt inflicted on those who try to leave. Ex-members have been ostracised by their family’s and have suffered humiliation from other Brethren who have severe all contact with them.

According to an ex-Brethren member: “It was a known thing ever since you were a child that if you ever left you’d go to hell - you’d burn in hell for ever; and that you’d never be able to speak to any of your family or anyone that you’d ever known through childhood in the Brethren ever again. That you’d just be ignored...like you didn’t exist.”

Leaving the Brethren can produce psychological problems. It is a traumatic event to leave all your love ones, your whole way of thinking behind and be thrust into a society in which you have been brainwashed and taught is evil.

And this is the same secretive, {don’t vote} manipulating, deceitful cult who ran a $500,000 campaign against New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, the NZ Greens and the Greens in Tasmania. They also strongly supported John Howard in the 2004 elections prompting Bob Brown and Christine Milne to call for a senate inquiry into the Exclusive Brethren.

Sadly, Christians cults such as the Brethren are ammunition for atheists to support their arguments that, “all religion is dangerous for society.”

Richard, Warwick and Graham, nice to hear from you brothers spruiking the obvious eclectic benefits of being a member of the EBC. Oddly enough the KKK was waffling on with very similar points of view to yours, and equally as strange, they suffer from a poor public image as well. Given their are some excellent spin doctors/ PR types out in the, ah, normal community you might want trade a bible for a copy of the yellow pages. In the meanwhile, just a wee question about what you stated above. Just sort of curious about how you get new devotees pounding on your doors to let ‘em come and rejoice with you given you don’t impose your views on others, yet you seem to shun any questioning of your beliefs in a very robust manner? I am not sure if I am right in this, but on the surface at least, it would appear the only way to be a EBC member is via birthright, which would make not imposing/instilling EBC doctrines into a new born child highly unlikely, even impossible given the removal of freedom of association with non EBC children. Wasn’t Hitler playing around with a similar notion of ‘superior’ by suppressing differing ideas? Strange how some people equate sameness to spiritual bliss.

Yes, the Brethren are all lovely and caring ... as long as you never change your views and always strictly subscribe to their creed, in which case they ruthlessly cut people off.

Imagine the pressue you would feel if you started questioning the veracity of their fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible? You can either bite your tongue and tow the line, or be cut off from your family and every friend you had (since they are exclusive) which means you are totally alone. No wonder the families stick together!

Dictators are lovely and benevolent if you slavishly tow the line too.

i think i might be missing something here, is this the same group sprouting marriage togetherness here, who broke up this marriage and forbid the wife and children to see or speak to the father because he commited the great sin of having a couple of friends outside the brethren?

is this the same group of fanatics our esteemed PM.{who preaches family unity} is courting for their backing in his scrambling for another term in office? i wonder what he has to give them in payback!

fanaticism of any sort be it religious or otherwise is the sign of a very sick group of people.

Yea it is easy to have lower divorce rates when people are brainwashed prisoners. The list of pain and sufferings this obscene cult has inflicted on their their inherents is long. This dangerous cult needs to be shut down. Who are they to cut of children’s interaction with the real world. This is child abuse. It is sickening that The Australian allows a platform for these dangerous people.

Cutting children off from the world are cut off from experiencing the wide range of choices the world has to offer. The children of the Brethren are sequestered, insulated and binded body, mind and spirit into a warped spiritual twisted posture. that, many psychiatrists will agree is child abuse.

• A principle of Separation - PDF version