Former 'cult' member exposes top secret operation happening right under our noses ahead of the federal election

Daily Mail, Australia/April 30, 2025

By Caitlin Powell

An ex-member of a conservative Christian sect has exposed an alleged nationwide campaign by the church's 'army' to campaign for the Liberal Party.

Ben Woodbury, 33, was at his local polling booth in Sydney last week when he saw members of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church campaigning for the Liberals.

The church, which is also referred to as the Exclusive Brethren, is a small, separatist Christian sect in which members do not vote in any elections.

Mr Woodbury told Daily Mail Australia he was excommunicated from the Church, which he calls a 'cult', nine years ago because he is gay.

He was understandably 'shocked' to see church members campaigning for a gay Liberal candidate in his area and took to his TikTok to share his thoughts.

Aussie viewers told him 'there's Brethren everywhere' with Mr Woodbury admitting he personally handed out flyers for Liberal candidates before he left the church.

'But this is an unprecedented amount of involvement, which I've never seen before in my life and heard of,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

'I thought there's something bigger going on here, so I reached out to a couple of my insiders in the cult and they said there's a nationwide operation happening.'

Mr Woodbury said the Church has reportedly flown members as far as Darwin to 'swamp the booths' at Labor marginal seats.

When asked if the campaigning is for a specific party, he said: 'It's always Liberal.'

The Brethren's website states that members do not vote and the Church has never made donations to any political party.

'Some of our individual members have donated to individual politicians, but this is to their discretion and they do not represent the Church's view when doing so,' it said.

But Mr Woodbury disputes that, alleging the orders come straight from the Church.

'We used to call it 'vol-and-tol', so essentially you're told what to do, but if anybody asked you're volunteering,' he said.

'You weren't allowed to ask questions because, as they quote, "You do the doing and we'll do the thinking". That's the mindset.'

Mr Woodbury also alleges the Church contacted volunteers with tips on how to respond if 'approached by an opposition candidate or their volunteers'.

Mr Woodbury alleges the Church contacted volunteers with tips on how to respond if 'approached by an opposition candidate (that alleged text is pictured)

In a text, which was shared with Mr Woodbury and provided to this publication, an individual describes possible questions and suggested responses for volunteers.

For the query 'what Church are you from?', individuals were encouraged to rely: 'I don't think it's appropriate to ask about my religion. I'm here volunteering for (XXX), which is my right.'

Volunteers were also urged to 'be polite and courteous but avoid getting drawn into extended conversations'.   

The national conversation around the Brethren was sparked after The Sydney Morning Herald reported the Church had dispatched hundreds of members to pre-polling booths in marginal seats.

Sky News also shared footage of Labor member for Parramatta, Andrew Charlton, asking a volunteer whether they were a member of the Brethren.

Asked about the presence of Brethren members on the campaign trail on Tuesday, Peter Dutton said people are volunteers and the Liberal Party doesn't recruit any.

'We're a volunteer-based organisation. People can volunteer and provide support to their local Liberal National Party candidate. I'd encourage them to do that,' he said.

Mr Woodbury said the Church and its members 'align themselves a lot more with the right wing party and especially somebody like (Peter) Dutton'.

'The (Church has been) very active... in putting money out there to help campaign against things like marriage equality,' he said.

'They don't support women's rights. They hate anything to do with abortion.'

Mr Woodbury said he finds it hard to believe Mr Dutton and other Liberal candidates are not aware of members of the Brethren working as volunteers.

'It has become like an army of them. They're so easy to spot because they don't blend in,' he said.

He said women in the church are usually 'dressed quite literally like The Handmaid's Tale' but alleged they have been told to remove headscarves for volunteering.

He claims members were told to don 'disguises' and 'have fun with it'.

Mr Woodbury has not spoken to his family since 2023, when he says his mother was forbidden from meeting him for coffee.

His family are all still members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Mr Dutton's office for comment.

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