A Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups will commence its public hearings on 23 July.
On the morning of the 23rd, the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee will hear from Catherine and Ryan Carey, former members of the Geelong Revival Centre and founders of Stop Religious Coercion Australia.
At 1:30pm the Committee will hear from Richard Baker, an investigative journalist and founder of Southern Ocean Media, who produced the podcast ‘Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder’.
The hearings will be broadcast live on the Committee’s website.
“We’ve had a strong response so far through submissions and our anonymous questionnaire, which is still open until 31 July,” said Committee Chair, Ella George.
“Now that public hearings are starting, we’ll be able to take a deeper look at the evidence, including hearing directly from people with lived experience of how these groups recruit and the impact they’ve had.
“I encourage anyone who has information to share with us to do so by 31 July via the submission form or questionnaire on our website,” Ms George said.
