MATTERS OF INTEREST

MERCY MINISTRIES

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:23): I am pleased to rise today to inform the chamber that Mercy Ministries, an organisation about which I have spoken before in this place, has announced that it will be closing its Sydney group home at the end of the month. Additionally, following ongoing controversy surrounding the organisation and an ACCC investigation, Hillsong Church has announced that it is cutting all ties with Mercy Ministries around the world. I cannot help but think that the announcement of the Sydney closure, due to extreme financial challenges and a steady drop in support base, is directly linked to the drying up of this deep well of funds that the ministry has enjoyed in the past.

Furthermore, according to an online article in the Daily Telegraph (which I think is a Sydney newspaper), Gloria Jean's, once a prominent supporter of the ministries, has also severed all ties with Mercy. I quote from that paper as follows:

A spokesperson for Gloria Jean's said that the company has since severed all ties with Mercy Ministries. There is now the Gloria Jean's International foundation, which is primarily focused on humanitarian and community programs. The foundation does not support Mercy Ministries.

It seems that the brainwashing, the exorcisms and the denial of proper medical and professional attention—plus, undoubtedly, the ongoing negative attention that seems to follow Mercy Ministries around the world—were just a bit too much for these corporate donors. Last year when I spoke about the work of Mercy Ministries I read the story of one young woman who turned to Mercy in her moment of need, only to find that the positive experience she was hoping for was nothing like the reality. She was removed from the care of her doctors, separated from the support of her qualified counsellor, isolated from her family, friends and church, and disconnected from study and work opportunities. As I recounted, this young woman spoke of being reprogrammed by Mercy.

In 2008 Sydney Morning Herald journalist Ruth Pollard investigated the claims of victims of Mercy Ministries, bringing much needed attention to the organisation. In today's Sydney Morning Herald she has a follow-up piece, outlining the news of the closure, in which she states:

Allegations of widespread abuse at Mercy Ministries Group homes appear finally to have caught up with the fundamentalist Christian group, which has announced it will close its Sydney home on 31 October, citing 'extreme financial challenges and a steady drop in our supporter base'.

She goes on:

Targeting girls and women aged 16 to 28, Mercy Ministries claimed—on its website and in promotional material distributed in Gloria Jean's cafes around the country—that its programs included support from 'psychologists, general practitioners, dieticians, social workers [and] career counsellors'. Instead the program prevented the residents gaining access to psychiatric care, choosing to focus on prayer, Christian counselling and exorcisms to 'expel demons' from the young women, many of whom had serious psychiatric conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety and anorexia.

A Herald investigation last year revealed that the women who entered the program were required to sign over their Centrelink benefits and were virtually cut off from the outside world, except for a weekly trip to the local Hillsong Church for worship. Pastor Brian Houston, of Hillsong Church, issued a press release confirming the severing of ties between the church and the ministry. In his media release he states:

Hillsong Church has cut ties with Mercy Ministries around the world following an ACCC investigation into Mercy Ministries Inc. Pastor Houston informed thousands of Hillsong attendees at a leadership meeting on Tuesday that the church has severed any affiliation with Mercy Ministries internationally and would not be associated with any attempt by Mercy Ministries USA to recommence within Australia under that or any other name. Pastor Houston said he would encourage those who have been involved with Mercy Ministries Inc. in Australia to take responsibility by cooperating with ongoing investigations.

By that I think he means the ACCC investigation. In light of the announcement of the closure of the Sydney ministry, I have today written to the Minister for Mental Health, bringing the Sydney Morning Herald article and the press release distributed by Hillsong to her attention, and I have asked her to inquire, in light of this recent announcement, what relationship, if any, the department has with any of the Mercy Ministries houses that were opened here in Adelaide last year.

Mercy Ministries does not help young women who come to it in distress; instead, it manipulates the vulnerable, leaving those who do not conform fully to fall by the wayside. In doing all this Mercy Ministries cannot resist the temptation of making a quick buck out of these girls' misery. It makes them sign over their Centrelink payments and then apply to the commonwealth for carers benefits. Mercy Ministries has not only ripped off vulnerable young women but also ripped off the taxpayer. I am pleased to hear of the closure of Mercy Ministries in Sydney, and I hope we can expect similar announcements from around Australia and the world.