The independent MP Andrew Wilkie has used parliamentary privilege to level extraordinary claims of money laundering and tax evasion against Hillsong, producing what he claims are leaked documents from the mega-church that he says reveal it earned $80m more than what it has publicly declared.
Wilkie alleged the leaked financial records and documents were provided to the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and was critical they had not been acted on.
“That is a failure of regulatory oversight every bit as alarming as Hillsong’s criminality,” the MP said in parliament on Thursday.
But Hillsong has disputed the allegations, claiming many of Wilkie’s representations were false or out of context, and that it was engaging with regulators as part of an ongoing legal case.
“Hillsong Church has been open and transparent with our congregation about past governance failures, and over the past twelve months we have engaged independent, professional assistance to overhaul our governance and accountability procedures,” it said in a statement.
Wilkie, the member for Clark, spoke in the Federation Chamber to claim a whistleblower had last year provided him with financial records and board papers related to Hillsong. He alleged they showed evidence of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion at the church, founded by pastor Brian Houston.
Hillsong was contacted for comment.
Among the allegations aired by Wilkie – contained in two large stacks...
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