The Independent Complaints Review Panel (ICRP) has not upheld a series of complaints made against a Four Corners program, broadcast on 8 March 2010, titled “Scientology: The Ex-Files”. The program investigated aspects of the activities of the Church of Scientology, following the call for a government inquiry into the Church by Senator Nick Xenophon in 2009. The complaint about the Four Corners program included three elements: the way in which the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) was described; disclosure of information ...

A federal parliamentary committee has recommended the creation of a charities commission. The commission would ensure charitable and religious organisations were open and transparent. They would also need to be able to prove they deserved a charitable status. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has welcomed bipartisan support for the commission, saying organisations such as the Church of Scientology are on notice. "I believe reform is now inevitable. We can't continue to have business as usual when it comes to organisations that have ...

AUSTRALIAN of the Year Prof Patrick McGorry is among a number of top psychiatrists who have been targeted by the Church of Scientology after they spoke out against the religion. The University of Melbourne professor, with Monash University's Prof Louise Newman and Prof Ian Hickie, director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney, publicly backed calls by South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon in March for a senate inquiry into Scientology. They have since received requests under ...

NOT far from where I live stand two semi-completed townhouses, their derelict state an invitation to the bulldozer and a reminder of somebody's inability to service a dream. St John's Cathedral stood incomplete for nearly a century and, while far from derelict, it too was a dream of religious grandiosity beyond the capacity of its parishioners. Unlike my near-neighbours, the Anglican Church was able to rally supporters to fulfil its dream. Among them was the Federal Government, which kicked in a ...

Believe it or not, Senate Inquiries can generate all sorts of humorous exchanges. A hearing earlier this week into the Tax Laws Amendment (Public Benefit Test) Bill generated so much laughter at one point, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ instead. It went something like this. When discussing the impact of the introduction of a Charities Commission in New Zealand, the Church of Scientology’s New Zealand Secretary, Michael Ferriss, explained that the organisation’s ...

An investigation is underway to determine whether controversial religious sect, The Church of Scientology, should be taxed on its proceeds. We look at the pros and cons.

FORMER members of the Church of Scientology have told a Senate committee of the "ruthlessness" of the church and its judicial system, and argued it should not be eligible for tax-free status. "Australian taxpayers should not be funding systematic, organised abuse," said Janette Vonthehoff, who claimed her passport was taken from her and she was forcibly prevented from returning to Australia from the United States when she was eight weeks pregnant, because the church ordered she must finish "training". Sydney tax ...

A parliamentary inquiry has heard claims the Church of Scientology leaves members to fund local charitable activities out of their own pockets, as it siphons donations to church officials overseas. The Senate committee was formed after Independent Senator Nick Xenophon raised concerns about Scientology, and proposed changes to tax law that would require religions to pass a public benefit test in order to be exempt from income tax. The Church of Scientology says the bill is being used as a platform ...

The Church of Scientology has compared itself to The Salvation Army, while defending its benefit to the community in a Senate inquiry. The organisation was scrutinised by an inquiry into legislation proposed by independent senator Nick Xenophon, which would require religious groups to prove what public benefit they provide, before getting tax breaks. Its representative, Virginia Stewart, told the committee its members lent a hand in times of disaster and promoted drug-free messages. "The church believes the proposed bill is inherently ...

It's alleged Scientology has avoided paying tax in the United Kingdom by claiming it is run out of South Australia. In Britain, the Church of Scientology is supposed to pay tax on the millions of pounds it brings in each year. Now, the organisation has been accused of claiming its entire UK operation is part of its Australian outfit. Here, Scientology is recognised as a religion and does not pay tax. It's alleged the church is using this, combined with some ...

The industrial inspectorate has confirmed it is investigating the employment practices of the Church of Scientology. Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson told a Senate estimates hearing it had looked into the controversial religious group but declined to give details. It is understood opposition frontbencher Eric Abetz wrote to the ombudsman in March with the idea of an inquiry. The inspectorate has subsequently interviewed Scientology members along the east coast of Australia to establish whether they are being properly remunerated for their ...

A senior figure in the Church of Scientology has been accused of trying to cover up the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in Sydney. In an exclusive interview for ABC1's Lateline program, a former member of the Church of Scientology says she was coached by a senior figure in the church to lie to police about the abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Carmen Rainer's mother Phoebe was a member of the Church of Scientology and went to the ...

The Senate has agreed to launch an inquiry into the tax exempt status of religions and charities after allegations of abuse within The Church of Scientology. TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Well the Senate has agreed to hold inquiries in the laws regarding the tax exempt status of religions and charities. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has proposed a test which asks groups to demonstrate whether their activities are of public benefit or cause harm before being granted tax exempt status. The inquiry was ...

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has slammed the major parties for blocking his moves for an inquiry into the Church of Scientology. Senator Xenophon has been calling for a full inquiry into the church since revealing claims of forced abortions and other abuses in Parliament last year. Today he accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of hiding behind process and vowed to continue to fight for further examination of Scientology in Australia. "There is a certain cowardice in turning your backs on people ...

Inside Scientology, superstar Tom Cruise is regarded as its most dedicated follower. The mystery is why he never joined its most elite unit. Now, a former top-ranking defector who was just a teenager when recruited into Scientology says she knows why. Amy Scobee claims she knows the truth about how the cult controls celebrities, the way it handled Tom Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman and tells eyewitness accounts of what happens when its leader loses it. She began life and work ...

Yesterday, we were visited by Aaron Saxton, who is in town visiting friends. Saxton is a former Scientologist, and his Orwellian tales of being one of the Sea Org's ruthless enforcers during the 1990s are part of a national scandal that has become big news in Australia. In November, an Australian senator with the unlikely name of Nick Xenophon stunned his colleagues and the nation with a surprising speech filled with allegations of abuse by Scientology and calling for a federal ...

BRISBANE Scientologists claim they’re being vilified following recent TV reports calling their religion a dangerous cult. In March, ABC’s Four Corners program aired claims of forced abortions, imprisonment in boot camps and separation of families, and Channel 7’s Sunday Night program explored Scientology’s controversial beliefs. The allegations preceded independent senator Nick Xenophon’s failed bid to get the Senate to launch a Parliamentary inquiry into the church, which he labelled a cult. The Church of Scientology of Brisbane, at Annerley, has about ...

When allegations emerged that shonky insulation installers operating under the Federal Government's home insulation program had exposed householders to the risk of fires and workers to injury or death, the Liberal and National Parties promptly referred the matter to a Senate inquiry. And when trade unions claimed that Australia Post was cutting its workers compensation costs by using company doctors to force injured employees back to work prematurely, the Labor Party was more than willing to ask a Senate committee to ...

The Government and Opposition have again blocked Independent Senator Nick Xenophon's moves for a Senate inquiry into the Church of Scientology. But the failed motion has not deterred Senator Xenophon's desire to probe the church's activities and he will move another motion when Parliament sits in May. Senator Xenophon wanted the Senate to examine whether the criminal code is adequate to deal with allegations of abuse and harassment made by former church members. He also wanted the inquiry to consider the ...

A woman who claims she was pressured by Scientologists to have two abortions has urged the Prime Minister to support an inquiry into the church. Janette Lang was a member of the Church of Scientology for 13 years from when she was 20 years old. She says she has been damaged by her involvement with the church and some years worked for a pay of just $2,000. Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra today, Ms Lang says she was pressured to ...

A CANBERRA woman has given a tearful account of how the Church of Scientology coerced her to have two abortions, as a fresh attempt was being made for a Senate inquiry into the organisation. Senator Nick Xenophon's effort to get an upper house inquiry into the tax-free status of religious groups, including Scientology, failed last week, when both Labor and the Coalition voted against it. The Senate on Thursday will vote on an inquiry with revised terms - looking at alleged ...

Crusading Senator Nick Xenophon has continued to pressure the Government to crack down on The Church of Scientology, addressing an anti-cult conference in Brisbane today. [Picture: / Caption: "Senator Nick Xenophon says the Government and Opposition are hiding behind process in blocking an inquiry into The Church of Scientology. (ABC: Tim Leslie)"] Speaking at the the Cult Information and Family Support Group Queensland Conference, Senator Xenophon slammed the Government and the Opposition for their cowardice in not supporting his motion to ...

Nick Xenophon will re-write and re-submit his motion for a parliamentary inquiry into Scientology and similar organisations after the South Australian senator declared himself a “stubborn bastard” who would not give up on cult victims. Both major parties voted to defeat Senator Xenophon's motion last Thursday to inquire into introducing a public benefit test before religions could claim a tax exemption. But he said he had been encouraged by conversations with some Coalition MPs since the vote to believe they might ...

Independent senator Nick Xenophon plans to make a fresh bid for a Senate inquiry into Scientology. Labor and coalition senators this week joined forces to vote against Senator Xenophon's motion to launch an inquiry into the tax-free status of religious groups and whether they should be subjected to a British-style public benefit test. But the South Australian senator, who will address a forum on cults in Brisbane on Saturday, said he planned to make another bid for an inquiry when the ...