Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (11:11): There are many rewarding parts to the privilege of having been elected to Parliament, and one part of my work has been as a member of the Legal and Social Issues Committee undertaking this report into the inquiry into recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. The committee deliberately moved away from the term ‘cult’ and instead used the terminology ‘coercive high-control group’, recognising that the issue is not about religion or about beliefs but about patterns of coercion, manipulation and abuse. The report focuses on behaviours rather than beliefs, to protect freedom of religion and association while addressing serious harm.

From the outset I would like to thank the secretariat, who worked tirelessly and professionally with my colleagues to coordinate what at times was a distressing and eye-opening look at a situation that is occurring across Victoria, across Australia and indeed globally. Listening to people’s personal accounts was often exceptionally difficult. As a committee that is bipartisan, it was a collaborative process of listening to members within our community who either had been recruited into coercive high-control groups or had knowledge of them. Young people, old people, different ethnicities and different social groups were all touched. As community leaders, it was an important opportunity to protect those who may be vulnerable and unable to move away from them.

This inquiry was never about judging people’s beliefs or religions. It was about protecting Victorians from coercion, from abuse and from exploitation. The committee deliberately focused on behaviour, not belief, ensuring freedom of religion, as I mentioned before, and association were respected while addressing serious harm. Survivors consistently told the committee that current laws and services do not recognise what they have experienced. Children raised inside coercive control groups deserve stronger protections and better pathways to safety. Victoria now has an opportunity to become a national leader and indeed a global leader by introducing modern laws that recognise patterns of coercive control in group settings while strengthening the support for survivors.

The committee heard stories about children being born into coercive control groups, put to work or abused at such a young age it was horrendous; overseas students who were targeted when they had just come to this country and were feeling isolated and alone; and people targeted at the most vulnerable stages of their lives – women who may have been coming out of an abusive relationship and were just exceptionally vulnerable. People’s financial independence was taken away in these groups. Their money was taken away, their choices were taken away and their friendships and families were taken away. They did not have trusted relationships. Children, girls, were removed from education or not given the opportunities that we would expect all people to have.

There were six key recommendations that came out of our report, and I will group them. Creating a new criminal offence for group-based coercion was one, and strengthening protection for children was another that was highlighted. Improving support services for people experiencing this was something that was just so clear and so needed, as was increased public awareness, more broadly in the public but also in educational institutions where young people are being targeted. There was also improving regulation and accountability, as well as putting lived experience at the centre of this.

In terms of key findings, the committee found coercive high-control groups exist across religious, ideological, commercial and wellness settings. Recruitment is gradual and often targets people during periods of vulnerability. Harm is psychological, it is financial, it is physical and it is social, and it extends well beyond the point someone leaves the group.