RSA Weekly: Saturday 22 November 2025

Published: Sat, 11/22/25

Updated: Sat, 11/22/25

RSA Weekly

Saturday 22 November 2025

Hi ,

This week, we have reported on the charities regulator's appearance at, and submission to, the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into cults and organised fringe groups. As you know, we have been pushing for much-needed reforms to the charities sector, and also for coercive control laws to extend to cult and high-demand groups. So there was much of interest in the regulator's evidence to the inquiry.

Also, we're pleased that politicians from across the political spectrum have blocked an attempt by the religious Right in the New South Wales upper house to restrict access to voluntary assisted dying for people living in aged-care facilities.

If you'd like to share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, email me on: sigladman@rationalist.com.au.

Si Gladman

Executive Director,

Rationalist Society of Australia

News from the RSA

RSA

Charities regulator confirms allegations raised with it over coercive control
22 Nov: Members of the public have raised concerns about issues of coercive control in religious charities with the national charities regulator, a parliamentary inquiry examining cults and fringe organised groups has heard. Appearing at the Victorian Legislative Assembly’s Legal and Social Issues Committee inquiry on Monday, Sue Woodward, the head of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, confirmed that the regulator had received “concerns” related to allegations about the treatment of people in religious charities. Read the full article

RSA

Charities regulator tells cult inquiry religious charities’ “reduced” obligations “significantly impacts” its work
17 Nov: In a written submission, the nation’s charities regulator has told a parliamentary inquiry into cult groups that some religious charities’ exemptions to reporting requirements and governance standards “significantly impacts” its ability to act when public concerns are raised about charities. Read the full article

News from elsewhere

THE AGE

Inside Exclusive Brethren’s rallying call to members

22 Nov: The leaders of extremist religious sect the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church this week tightened their grip over every aspect of their members’ lives and finances, while rejecting the prime minister’s accusation that they’re a cult. Leaked audio from the church’s annual conference, Strive 26, features Dean and Charles Hales pressuring the Brethren “saints” to give more money and to hand over more financial information to centrally controlled companies. Read the full article

GO GENTLE

Bill to crush VAD access rejected in NSW

21 Nov: A private member’s bill that tried to restrict access to voluntary assisted dying for people living in aged care has been defeated. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment (Residential Facilities) Bill 2025, put forward by end-of-life choice opponent Susan Carter MLC, was rejected in the NSW upper house 23 votes to 16. Read the full article

AFR

Judges lashed for ‘rear guard action’ to rehabilitate Dyson Heydon

21 Nov: Leading barrister Rachel Doyle, SC, has criticised Victorian judges and barristers for wearing their formal court robes to attend the Catholic archdiocese’s annual Red Mass, held to mark the start of the year. She said wearing robes risked creating a perception of connection between the secular institution of the law and the religious institution. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN

Trio behind deadly Wieambilla attack had 'shared delusional disorder'

21 Nov: A Queensland coroner says the three extremists behind the Wieambilla attack, which claimed the lives of two young police officers and a neighbour, had a "shared delusional disorder" and were "intent" on killing. Queensland Police previously described the shooting as a "religiously motivated terrorist attack". Read the full article

BBC

Supreme Court rules Christian-focused RE taught in NI schools is unlawful

20 Nov: The Christian religious education (RE) taught in schools in Northern Ireland is unlawful, the UK Supreme Court has ruled. In a unanimous judgement the UK's highest court allowed an appeal by an unnamed father and daughter from Northern Ireland. Read the full article

NEWS

CSIRO to cut hundreds of science jobs as rising costs outpace funding

20 Nov: Australia’s leading science and research agency will cut hundreds of jobs across the nation as rising costs outpace funding. The CSIRO has announced up to 350 science jobs will be lost as the organisation faces long-term financial sustainability challenges fuelled by the rising cost of running a modern science agency. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN

Labor MP Ed Husic urges own party to ‘pry open the jaws of Treasury’ after CSIRO announces job cuts

19 Nov: Ed Husic has challenged his own government to “pry open the jaws of Treasury” to boost funding for Australia’s national scientific agency. Husic said “some of the driest of the driest minds within the sphere of government saw CSIRO’s funding as a budget cost, rather than an investment in the future. Read the full article

GIPPSLAND TIMES

Church submission to cult inquiry published

19 Nov: A Sale-based church has, as part of a submission to the Victorian inquiry examining cults, responded to a series of allegations against it by a former member who is the daughter of its senior pastor. An assistant pastor of the City Builders Church said the parliamentary committee inquiry had acted irresponsibly and been “hijacked by individuals with personal grievances”. Read the full article

SMH

Liberals want ‘Australian values’ screening for new migrants

19 Nov: The Coalition is exploring how it can toughen screening to make sure new migrants agree with Australian values, as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s frontbench works on an immigration policy that will unite fractured MPs while taking a fight to Labor. Enhancing the Australian values statement is one option available to Ley’s home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam and immigration spokesman Paul Scarr. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN

Trial begins in archdiocese of New Orleans’ $230m settlement for abuse survivors

19 Nov: The archdiocese of New Orleans has begun a three-week confirmation trial that will determine whether a federal bankruptcy judge signs off on a $230m settlement meant to compensate 650 clergy abuse survivors and resolve one of the US’s longest-running and costliest church bankruptcies. Read the full article

CANBERRA TIMES (VIA CATH NEWS)

Design of memorial to honour abuse victims finally approved

18 Nov: A national memorial for victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse will be built in Canberra after the Albanese Government selected a new design. The $7.9 million lakeside memorial will be located at Acton Peninsula, with construction to begin next year. Read the full article

BRISBANE TIMES

Right-wing group founder added to Queensland school curriculum board

14 Nov: The Queensland government has reshuffled its school curriculum board, dumping union executives to instead introduce “a diverse skill set” with three new members, including the founder of right-wing lobby group Advance Australia. Read the full article

IN DAILY

SA anti-abortion lobbyist in top three national social media spenders

13 Nov: In the past 30 days, anti-abortion lobbyist Joanna Howe – who helped write Sarah Game’s abortion bill – was the third biggest spender in the country on Meta advertising. Howe spent $95,976 across 40 posts in the time period 11 October – 9 November, according to Meta’s advertiser library which covers platforms Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp. Read the full article

Opinion / Analysis

RATIONALE

Unlocking equity in property offers escape from Australia’s debt trap

David James: The high value of net equity in property in Australia could offer a route to solving the biggest social and financial issue facing the country: the generational divide between older people who own their own homes and younger people who have little prospect of ever getting into the market. Read the full article

THE CONVERSATION

School exemptions to discrimination law leave religious LGBTQIA+ teens unprotected

James Gardiner and Lizzie Maughan: Our findings illustrate the urgent need for legislative changes to federal anti-discrimination law, particularly religious exemptions. We have heard from LGBTQIA+ youth whose school environments were unsafe because their religious schools were exempt from the Sex Discrimination Act. Read the full article

THE AGE

Church leader took his life after explosive child abuse claims: whistleblower

Perry Duffin and Amber Schultz: When youth group leader Matthew Briggs took his own life, the death of the dedicated church member rocked the tight-knit community. Now a member of the flock has turned whistleblower, alleging Briggs was under investigation as a paedophile, that the church covered it up and that government agency the Office of the Children’s Guardian failed in its duty to protect children.” Read the full article

CRIKEY

Behind Labor’s Big Lie about FOI

Bernard Keane: The government says robodebt shows freedom of information laws scare public servants out of providing frank and fearless advice. A close look reveals that claim is a monumental lie. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN (UK)

Unelected Lords are blocking assisted dying – this is a democratic outrage

Simon Jenkins: A bill passed by the House of Commons after years of public debate is being blocked by a small group of peers under the pretence of scrutiny. Their purpose is to kill the bill by filibuster and impose their religious or moral views on the free will of others. Read the full article

THE FREETHINKER

The preacherman-o-sphere: the religious misogynists exploiting our charity sector

Megan Manson: We’ve seen cases like these so often that we decided to compile a report of religious charities which have promoted or condoned misogyny, from the subjugation of women to physical abuse. Our report reveals not only the scale of misogyny in religious charities, but the apparent inability of charity regulators to do much about it. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN (US)

Why the Democratic party is seeing a rise of white clergy candidates

David Smith: Justin Douglas is among about 30 Christian clergy – pastors, seminary students and other faith leaders – known to be potential Democratic candidates in next year’s midterm elections, including a dozen who are already in the race. While stressing the separation of church and state, many say that on a personal level their faith is calling them into the political arena. Read the full article

THE GUARDIAN (US)
How do the pros get someone to leave a cult? Manipulate them into thinking it was their idea

Nic M Neves: What Ryan and Kelly do is unusual: they help people leave cults. Over the past 40 years, they have handled hundreds of cases – some simple and local, others stretching across borders and decades. They have been hired by families of both modest and considerable means. They say they have even been hired by government agencies. Read the full article

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