Redeemer Baptist School abuse and exploitation inquiry

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry is investigating allegations of systemic abuse at the Redeemer Baptist School and Church in North Parramatta. Testimony includes claims of sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse, including corporal punishment, students being held underwater, and extreme humiliation such as a student being placed in a dog collar and pulled by a lead. Witnesses and former members have characterized the institution as a “cult,” an “invisible prison,” or a “criminal gang who uses religion as camouflage,” with some urging the government to recognize it as a system of group-based coercive control.

The inquiry is also examining significant financial and labor-related concerns. Evidence suggests government funding, fees, and donations may have been used to build a property portfolio valued at over $140 million. Experts have raised concerns regarding the management of approximately $58 million in government grants and alleged a “scheme of arrangement designed to avoid taxation.”

Regarding labor, the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner, Dr. James Cockayne, testified that evidence suggests staff and students may have been victims of forced labour and servitude. He noted that an anonymous survey indicated approximately 40 percent of respondents reported restricted movement and social isolation. Consequently, the Independent Education Union has filed an application with the Federal Court to recover unpaid wages for staff who claim they were treated as volunteers rather than employees. School headmaster and bursar Russell Bailey has categorically rejected claims that the school’s volunteer model constitutes modern slavery practices.