Mr Bruce Hales’ statement on Parliamentary appearance
Senior elder of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Mr Bruce Hales, has agreed to attend a public hearing of the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.
Despite not being involved in the 2025 election in any way, the Joint Standing Committee has sought to force Mr Hales to answer for the actions of those individual church members who were involved.
Mr Hales provided this statement to the church announcing his decision to attend a public hearing. Given media interest in this story, we have sought and obtained permission to publish this.
Statement from Mr Bruce Hales, senior elder of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church:
“I was not involved, nor did I have any participation directly or indirectly in the 2025 election.
“I did not participate in the campaign, nor did I ask anyone to do so.
“I am a father, a husband, a grandfather and a great-grandfather and also a senior elder globally within my Church.
“I have agreed to appear before the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and have already submitted extensive question and answer statements to the committee.
“There has been considerable misinformation spread by the press, but I am completely confident that truth will prevail and God’s rights in upholding government will be upheld until we are no longer here on earth and in this world.”
Responding to Mr Bruce Hales’ statement, a spokesperson for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church said:
“This is a deeply disturbing moment for religious freedoms in Australia.
“Despite providing three hours of evidence and sharing two comprehensive submissions that state the facts that our Church had no involvement in the election, the Committee has continued its campaign of persecuting our Church and its members.
“Pressuring a senior elder of any Church to answer for the actions of its independent parishioners represents a damning escalation of religious discrimination by this Committee.
“We share the fears of other religious groups that this precedent will now be used to unjustly target other faiths. While this has started with our Church, it won’t end with us.”
