Escaping the religious ‘cult’ tied to big business | Four Corners Documentary

Video Description

In the streets of suburban Sydney lies the spiritual headquarters of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church — a secretive, ultra-wealthy organisation whose $22 billion business empire stretches around the globe. Former members and even the Australian Prime Minister have accused the religious group, once known as the Exclusive Brethren, of operating like a cult, while its leader Bruce Hales and his family live in luxury, at the centre of a network of thousands of companies worldwide. This week on Four Corners, former members tell reporter Louise Milligan about the psychological manipulation, surveillance, and threats the church allegedly uses against them, as well as attempts to intimidate them and buy their silence. Big Brethren charts how some companies that support the church have amassed billions and are now under scrutiny from the Australian Taxation Office. Whistleblowers also reveal the group’s attempts at political penetration, including covert election campaigning, despite members traditionally being discouraged from voting. Full responses from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Greg Hunt can be found here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-15/big-brethren/105776410 CHAPTERS 00:00 – The Brethren 01:55 – The unlikely home of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church 04:22 – Bruce Hales 10:00 – The corporate structure 11:20 – COVID tenders 13:07 – ATO raid 15:38 – Escaping the church 20:30 – 'It felt like an assault on democracy’ 27:50 – Family estrangement 33:45 – Influence in the United States 39:10 – A man on the run Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia