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Redeemer Baptist School abuse and exploitation inquiry

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-15 03:08 UTC → 2026-09-06 10:43 UTC · added removed

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 provided to the inquiry includes claims of sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse, as well as widespread including corporal punishment that witnesses say continued as late as 2005. Survivors punishment, students being held underwater, and former members have described extreme forms of humiliation and physical mistreatment, including one account of such as a student being placed in a dog collar and pulled by a lead. There are also allegations regarding the abuse of an Indigenous foster brother. 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 the school it as a system of group-based coercive control. The inquiry is also examining significant financial and labor-related concerns. Evidence suggests that government funding, fees, and donations may have been used to build a property portfolio valued at over $140 million. Experts and accountants have raised concerns regarding the management of approximately $58 million in government grants, with allegations of grants and alleged a “scheme of arrangement designed to avoid taxation.” Additionally, Regarding labor, the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner Commissioner, Dr. James Cockayne, testified that there is evidence suggesting some suggests staff and students may have been victims of forced labour and servitude. The school reportedly operates on a 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 where teachers receive minimal stipends without employment entitlements or superannuation, despite receiving substantial funding. constitutes modern slavery practices.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-06 10:43 UTC Redeemer Baptist School abuse and exploitation inquiry
  2. 2026-08-15 03:08 UTC Redeemer Baptist School abuse inquiry
  3. 2026-08-14 03:51 UTC Redeemer Baptist School abuse inquiry

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