Plymouth Brethren Christian Church denies funding far-right political stunts

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has denied it secretly paid far-right influencers to stage stunts targeting Anthony Albanese and other politicians during an appearance at a parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election.

Volunteers from the Brethren church were seen at polling booths during the campaign, but the religious organisation denied claims it had coordinated hundreds of volunteers to support Liberal candidates across the country.

In its interim report, however, the committee responsible for running the inquiry claimed democracy was “under assault” from third parties including the Brethren church and rightwing lobby group Advance.

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In pictures

The family of missing 18-year-old hiker Lily Hooper was told she’d been found alive. “She’s coming home,” her father said – then, their tears of joy turned to grief.

Reporter Ima Caldwell was on the ground in the southern highlands as the final sounds of the search for Hooper faded into the darkness, and “the last traces of light vanished entirely from the sky”.

What they said …

“His head was down. He didn’t look up. I distinctly remember thinking ‘something bad has happened here’.” – a witness in the Alan Jones trial

An alleged victim looked “distraught” while sitting next to Alan Jones, who had his hand under the table, a fellow guest at a lower north shore luncheon has told a Sydney court. The alleged victim, known as complainant C, earlier told the court that Jones had instructed him to sit next to him at the long table and spent the entire lunch with his left hand under the table and either on his leg or on his penis over his pants.

Jones has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching against six complainants.

Podcast

David Pocock on the ‘real betrayal’ of Labor’s deal on gambling reforms

Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to independent senator David Pocock about what he thinks the Albanese government’s week of deal-making means for the nation’s political future – with both major parties continuing to be spooked by One Nation’s rise.

Before bed read

On the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s pioneering classic Graceland, the author of a new book about the album explains the complex legacy and musicianship of the 1986 masterpiece.

Ethan Beck writes that Graceland remains the most nimble, ecstatic album that Simon’s hands have touched.