The Liberal Party has been called to condemn a powerful and secretive church that campaigned for it in the last federal election, after the sect reportedly used intimidation tactics to scare voters.
Multiple candidates during the 2025 election reported unusually large numbers of Liberal volunteers manning pre-poll booths, particularly in marginal seats.
Many were believed to be Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members mobilised by the organisation, which is also known as the Exclusive Brethren.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke used Question Time on Wednesday to request that Opposition Leader Angus Taylor condemn the church.
Mr Burke then tabled a document reportedly showing clear Plymouth Brethren connections to the Liberal Party, including that key inside contact Sam Jackson Hope, a former Peter Dutton staffer, was now working for Mr Taylor.
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported the group paid neo-Nazi associates to tail and harass MPs, and church members intimidated voters at booths across the country.
Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus told parliament on Wednesday that MPs had been the targets of abuse and threats.
''This is not about religion, nor is it an objection to political participation,'' he said.
Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who chairs the parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election, confirmed earlier in the day that he would compel world leader Bruce Hales and his son Gareth to answer for what had happened.
If they did not comply, a summons would be issued, he said.
The Liberal Party had also been given multiple invitations to front the committee, and it was on them to explain why they hadn't done so, Mr Laxale said.
"The Labor Party have turned up. The Greens have turned up. Climate 200 have turned up. Advance have turned up, so the Liberal Party should, in good faith, turn up," he told reporters.
When previously asked by the committee, Australian Plymouth Brethren leaders have repeatedly denied the 16,000-strong church had overseen official campaign efforts, instead saying individual members could decide to support a political party despite evidence to the contrary.
The church had a culture of coercion, and many previous members felt they had to campaign, Mr Laxale told reporters.
A final report on the matter is due at the end of the year and is expected to contain detailed recommendations to stop widespread campaigning from the group in the future.
Mr Taylor's office has been contacted for comment.
