Church boss refuses to swear on Bible while denying election payment claims

The head of a conservative evangelical movement has refused to swear on the Bible before rubbishing claims his church secretly paid far-right activists to derail Labor’s campaign during the last federal election.

Fronting a parliamentary committee on Friday, Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) director Lloyd Grimshaw dismissed as “a complete lie” a Sydney Morning Herald investigation linking his church to dozens of political stunts throughout the 2025 campaign.

“My church did not make any donations or support in any way political parties or third parties who were involved in the election,” he told the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, calling it “say-so” from unnamed sources.

“It’s not an investigation. Without names, it doesn’t even meet a threshold of gossip.

“It’s a tale of elders, of gophers, of duffel bags and anonymous sources and unnamed people and politicians with no proof, no amounts, no transactions, no communication, and no corroboration.”

The Sydney Morning Herald cited four sources who independently claimed senior church members gave a “duffel bag of cash” to a right-wing figure to enlist others in an “influence campaign”.

Enlistees included far-right influencers Laurence McIntyre, Chris De Bruyne and Morgan C Jonas.

The paper highlighted a particularly viral moment in which Mr McIntyre, a popular fringe figure with links to neo-Nazis, heckled Anthony Albanese on the first day of the election campaign.

The moment, one of several throughout the campaign, was caught on camera and spread quickly across social media, amplified by other fringe political figures.

Mr McIntyre denied any knowledge of the PBCC figures when approached by The Sydney Morning Herald but would not answer if he received cash for his stunts.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned that Australia was “shifting to a pathway where physical intimidation gets paid for because of your political views”.

“We need to draw a line under this, we need to make sure that if this is what has happened in the 2025 election, that it is an aberration that is rejected by everybody today,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Originally published as Church boss refuses to swear on Bible while denying election payment claims