Lucas Miles calls the parliamentary questioning of church leader Bruce Hales a “canary in the coal mine” for American religious freedom. The committee is examining alleged coordinated campaigning at Australia’s 2025 federal election, which the church denies.
A faith leader at Turning Point USA has asked President Donald Trump to intervene after Australian MPs questioned the leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church about his beliefs. Lucas Miles, the group’s vice president of faith, told Fox News Digital he has contacted the White House Faith Office and several administration officials. He wants diplomatic pressure applied to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to end the inquiry. The hearing on 16 October examined allegations of coordinated political activity by church members during the 2025 election. The church denies organising or condoning improper conduct.
What Miles is asking for
“We’ve reached out to the faith office, we’ve reached out to several members of the administration to make sure that they’re aware of this,” Mr Miles said. “We’re hoping to see some response and action soon.”
He said: “What I would like to see, first of all, is some pressure applied, whether that be through diplomatic channels or through the president himself.” He urged Mr Trump to pursue what he called “faith-based diplomacy” to defend religious liberty abroad.
In a statement, Mr Miles said: “When an Australian parliamentary committee tasked with investigating election matters begins interrogating a Christian leader about his theological convictions, serious questions must be asked about the purpose of the inquiry.” He added that Mr Hales “was summoned to answer questions about electoral conduct, not to defend the doctrines of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church before the government”. He called the shift from election oversight to religious scrutiny a “politically motivated witch hunt”.
“In a free society, government has every right to investigate violations of election law, but it has no business putting Christian doctrine on trial,” he said. He warned: “If this can happen in Australia, if it can happen places like England and Canada, it certainly can happen America if we don’t stay alert.” He said Christians should be free to take part in politics without churches automatically being held responsible for their members’ choices. “Just because individual private citizens who happen to go to a church have a similar opinion about politics, that does not constitute a grand conspiracy,” he said. Mr Miles is not a member of the denomination.
The research notes say there is no verified formal request from Mr Trump or the White House to Mr Albanese, no response from Mr Albanese to Mr Miles’s appeal, and no sign that the inquiry has been suspended.
The hearing
Independent MP Monique Ryan asked Bruce Hales, the church’s global leader, whether members saw him as an “elect vessel” or a direct messenger from God, and whether they sought his guidance on marriage, housing, pets, clothing and facial hair. Liberal MP Ben Small objected, calling it “patently ridiculous” and “so far off the terms of reference for this inquiry”. Another lawmaker interjected that hairstyles had no bearing on electoral matters, and the committee chair allowed the questioning to continue. Liberal senator Richard Colbeck said: “This is not the Spanish Inquisition.” Senator James McGrath said he had lost confidence in the committee, arguing that it had become excessively partisan. Committee chair Jerome Laxale defended the need for the evidence, citing unanswered questions about campaign activity and alleged payments to political agitators.
Mr Hales denied directing, funding or coordinating political campaigning. “I had no involvement whatsoever in relation to any members who volunteered or took part in any aspect of the 2025 federal election,” he told the committee. He said he did not support harassment or intimidation, and that individual members should answer for their own actions. Lawmakers asked whether a sermon in which he said Australia needed to be “happy again, smiling again” influenced members, as later campaign messaging echoed his words. His son, Gareth Hales, said he had encouraged people who were already campaigning but denied directing an organised church campaign.
According to the research notes, citing ABC News and the hearing transcript, Bruce Hales said he inherited the leadership from his father, John Hales, and that members rarely challenge his teachings. He said he first learned that his eldest son had been campaigning when he saw a photograph in the press. Gareth Hales said he volunteered at four polling booths and did not need his father’s permission. The notes say he met Liberal leader Peter Dutton at a petrol station media event as a private citizen. He also said he met two men, Chris De Bruyne and Morgan C Jonas, in what he called brief business meetings. Independent MP Andrew Gee described them as far-right figures. Gareth Hales said he did not know of their political views.
The hearing also turned to the United States. Senator Steph Hodgins-May asked Mr Hales about Turning Point USA’s support for the church and whether leaders had met the Trump administration. Mr Hales said he had never met Mr Trump but understood some members in New York had briefly met him.
The allegations
The committee is also examining allegations of intimidation and coordinated campaigning. According to the research notes, Nine newspapers and ABC News reported claims that people linked to the church paid influencers with links to neo-Nazi circles to follow and heckle Mr Albanese, and that a company previously linked to Gareth Hales, Sante Global, was questioned over alleged payments. He denied it, the church denies organisational involvement, and the reporting does not establish that payments took place. Former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds said two members approached her during the campaign seeking confidential financial information, though she stopped short of alleging misconduct. No criminal charges have been reported.
Background to the inquiry
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters opened the inquiry in September 2025. The notes say the church and the advocacy group Advance declined invitations to appear on several occasions between November 2025 and May 2026. On 24 June the committee resolved to compel attendance if needed. It reported more than 75 published submissions mentioning the church and reports of its presence in about 80 suburbs. These measure reported involvement, not proven wrongdoing. Church director Lloyd Grimshaw gave evidence denying organisational coordination on 21 August.
The committee’s interim report recommended reviewing thresholds for significant third parties, an enforceable code of conduct for polling stations, and more resources for the Australian Electoral Commission. These are proposed changes to electoral regulation, not findings against the church. A final report is expected in November.
After ABC’s Media Watch broadcast an investigation, Covert Crusade, on 19 October, the church rejected claims that members called Mr Hales “the King” and objected to being called a fringe order. It says its evidence has already answered allegations of coordination. That is its position, not a clearance.
The church traces its roots back about 200 years. It says its roughly 55,000 members worldwide follow a “Doctrine of Separation”, distancing themselves from certain secular activities. It rejects descriptions of itself as a cult.
