Redeemer Baptist School survivors allege abuse at NSW inquiry

Survivors of the Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta, Sydney, have provided testimony to a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry regarding allegations of sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. Former church elder Glenn Frost and granddaughter of the founder, Alexandra Garth, urged the government to recognize the school and its associated church as a system of group-based coercive control.

The inquiry also examined the school's finances, hearing that government funding, fees, and donations were used to amass a property portfolio estimated to be worth over $140 million.

NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner Dr. James Cockayne testified that evidence suggests some staff and students may have been victims of forced labour and servitude. Cockayne noted that an anonymous survey indicated patterns of coercion, with approximately 40 percent of respondents reporting restricted movement and social isolation.