A Hillsong Whistleblower Claims The Church Deliberately Misled The Charities Regulator
A lawyer for the whistleblower claims there are "concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong".
A Hillsong whistleblower has alleged the megachurch deliberately moved millions of dollars through international arms to mislead the Australian charities regulator, according to a new ABC investigation.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) has been investigating Hillsong’s status as a registered charity since March, but the probe only became public last week when former church employee Natalie Moses presented evidence as part of a separate Fair Work case.
A 25-page statement of claim filed by lawyers for Moses alleges everything from misappropriation of finances, to church leaders “gifting” large sums of money to the Houston family, among other allegations.
In a statement provided to the ABC, Moses’ lawyer Josh Bornstein said there are “concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong”.
“On top of that, [the allegations] also raise moral and ethical issues about the conduct of a religious institution and what appears to be a cowboy culture operating within that empire,” he said. Moses also alleged that the church’s response to the ACNC investigation was that “God protects the righteous, and Hillsong is righteous”.
Ultimately, Moses claims she was suspended by the church after challenging financial operations she believed to be either unethical or illegal.
The news comes after a tumultuous year for the megachurch, after its summer camp made headlines for flouting COVID safety measures, and founder Brian Houston was forced to step down after allegedly covering up his father’s child abuse.
“In December, during our board meeting, Hillsong’s external legal counsel gave the board advice regarding the current charge I am facing — that it would be ‘best practice’ for me to step aside completely from church leadership during the court proceedings,” said Houston back in January.
“The court processes are likely to be drawn out and take up most of 2022, especially considering the backlog in the courts, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.”
After stepping down in January, Houston eventually resigned completely, after the church confirmed two women had made formal complaints about his behaviour.
Houston is due to appear in a Sydney court in October, and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The church’s lawyers have indicated they will defend the ACNC matter. Junkee does not allege Hillsong is guilty of any wrongdoing.
“We are further instructed that Hillsong is continuing to work with the enquiries made by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission,” a representative told the ABC. “As the matter is now before the Federal Court of Australia, it is inappropriate to make any further comment.”
Junkee has reached out to Hillsong for further comment regarding both the ACNC investigation and the Fair Work case.
Photo Credit: Hillsong