Xenophon pushes for Scientology inquiry

Independent senator Nick Xenophon plans to make a fresh bid for a Senate inquiry
into Scientology.
Labor and coalition senators this week joined forces to vote against Senator
Xenophon's motion to launch an inquiry into the tax-free status of religious groups
and whether they should be subjected to a British-style public benefit test.
But the South Australian senator, who will address a forum on cults in Brisbane on
Saturday, said he planned to make another bid for an inquiry when the Senate sits
next week.
This time he would propose terms of reference specifically dealing with the Church
of Scientology.
"I do not have a problem with what people believe - it's how they behave that
concerns me," Senator Xenophon said.
"And the Church of Scientology seems to be ruining people's lives, not just in
Australia but around the world."
In his speech, Senator Xenophon will tell Saturday's forum Scientology met all the
hallmarks of a "cult environment".
These were "compliance, exploitation, mind control and anxious dependency".
"Basically, this means that if a group uses psychological manipulation to force its
members to comply with strict rules, exploits those members, and creates in them an
all-consuming dependency on the group or leader, that group is most likely a cult,"
he said.
But he said the definitions "don't tell us about the years of pain and suffering and
loss" in cult members.
Claims of forced abortions, imprisonment in boot camps and separation of families
were aired this week on the ABC's Four Corners program.
Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan, who abstained from the vote on Thursday, said he was
divided on the issue.
"We need to find a solution to the despair and desperate circumstances that some
families find themselves in, without embarking on what turns into a witch-hunt, with
unintended consequences, against all religious organisations," he told AAP on
Friday.
During the Senate debate, the government said it would not support another inquiry
into the tax treatment of charities as it was already considering a number of
reports into the issue.
Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said while he accepted there were "very real issues" with
Scientology, and the church expressed "dangerous views", any allegations of
illegality should be referred to police rather than a Senate inquiry.
A Scientology spokeswoman said the voting down of Senator Xenophon's motion was a
"victory for religious freedom".