Rudd 'concerned' over Scientology

18 Nov 2009, 11:51 am   -   Source: AAP
5 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
5
Senator Xenophon has told parliament there is criminal activity within the Church of Scientology in Australia and has called for a Senate inquiry into its tax exempt status. (AAP)

Senator Xenophon has told parliament there is criminal activity within the Church of Scientology in Australia and has called for a Senate inquiry into its tax exempt status. (AAP)

The PM says he has concerns about Scientology but won't launch a probe without seeing evidence, despite a senator's allegations the church is engaged in criminal activity.

RELATED

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he has concerns about the Church of Scientology but wants to see what material independent senator Nick Xenophon has before committing to a parliamentary inquiry.

Senator Xenophon told parliament on Tuesday there was criminal activity within the church and has called for a Senate inquiry into Scientology's tax exempt status.

Senator Xenophon has also called for police to investigate the church after being contacted by a number of former Scientologists who accused the organisation of shocking crimes.

Senator Xenophon said their correspondence implicated the organisation in a range of crimes, including forced imprisonment, coerced abortions, physical violence, and blackmail.

Asked about the senator's claims, Mr Rudd described them as "grave allegations".

"Many people in Australia have real concerns about Scientology," Mr Rudd told reporters at Bungendore in NSW on Wednesday.

"I share some of those concerns. Let us proceed carefully and look carefully at the material he has provided before we make a decision on further parliamentary action."

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Your Comments

so called church of scientology

Fair - from doncaster, 3 years ago

As far as I am concerned the can believe in anything they like as long as they are not tax exempt.

scientology

oncewas - from bribie island, 3 years ago

their belief system beggars belief. it is not a reiigion and should get no concessions. indeed should any of them?

I am concerned, also.

Gregg Savage - from Brisbane, 3 years ago

In Australia, you have the right to forgo your critical facilities and believe in and practice any religion you like. What should be done, however, when individuals sacrifice their critical thought to the extent where they can justify (allegedly) forced imprisonment, etc.? Before today’s allegations, however, most people knew that Scientologists undertake myriad ludicrous practices in the name of their crackpot ideas, so I support the Australian government in fessing up about their concerns.

I'm 'concerned' about Rudd!

Matt - from Melbourne, 3 years ago

I can't believe the audacity of Rudd prying his nose into what very well may be a concern, but what I am more concerned about is the ear that Rudd offers to the church. What happened to the secular state? There's no such thing in this country, instead we are pacified with religious association apparently. It makes me so angry that certain lobby groups have the ear of the prime minister, the church, the coal industry...democracy is dead in australia, interest groups win. people lose.

Be concerned.

Tobias - from Adelaide, 3 years ago

A lot of people don't know much about Scientology - it was in fact banned in several Australian states up until the high court decided they weren't allowed to. Many nations around the world including the UK and Canada refuse to recognise it as a religion. There is a lot of information out there - look at the wikipedia articles or take a look at xenu.net for a more critical view.

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.