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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/23/australia-cults-crisis-people-falling-prey-control-ntwnfb>
"Raphael Aron took his first call from a cult survivor in the 1970s during a
psychology placement with a crisis hotline. It was the “old days” of cults, he
says, when headlines were dominated by Charles Manson, Jonestown and the
abduction of Patty Hearst. Closer to home, the Children of God and the Family,
led by Anne Hamilton-Byrne, were gaining notoriety.
But Aron says Australia’s cults problem is now “more real than it’s ever been”,
telling a Victorian parliamentary inquiry this week that there have been
several “tragic outcomes”. These include the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth
Struhs in Queensland in 2022.
Elizabeth, who had diabetes, died an agonising death after being denied insulin
by a small conservative Christian sect known as the Saints. Fourteen members of
the Saints, including Elizabeth’s parents, her brother and the group’s leader,
were found guilty of her manslaughter in January.
Aron says it’s time for “something to be done” about cults as “the situation
continues to spiral” and he is not alone in his concerns. Survivors and experts
painted a disturbing picture of “high-control” groups operating in Victoria
over two days of hearings this week at the inquiry into the recruitment methods
and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups.
For many people, the inquiry is “the first opportunity to speak out about their
experiences with coercive high-control groups – be it reflecting on their own
involvement or sharing the experiences of someone close to them”, says Ella
George, a state MP and chair of the committee overseeing the inquiry.
The committee says it is not targeting religious groups or their beliefs but
rather the methods they use to attract and retain members – and whether those
practices amount to coercion that should be criminalised.
So far, the answer to this question has been anything but straightforward."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
