Cult inquiry parliament leak fallout

Whenever anybody mentions the subject of cult behaviour in a group, it is not long before people start avoiding the subject by speculating about the mental health of the person who was sane enough to ask the question in the first place.

We see much the same problem in cybersecurity. When professionals who work in this field every day dare to tell our friends they can't trust Google, it isn't long before somebody speculates that we are being paranoid party poopers.

One of the reasons I made a submission to the cult inquiry in the first place is because of the similarities between cult tactics and social engineering attacks in the free software community. A specific example is the Code of Conduct (CoC) gaslighting.

I am encouraging people to read the report mentioned in my previous blog and see what more can be done to prohibit the nasty practices we see in Code of Conduct (CoC) gaslighting and the world of social control media at large.

The chair of the committee, Ella George, has issued a second apology which deserves some analysis. I am printing it here in full and my analysis appears below.

Subject: 	Important update regarding privacy incident on 29 July 2026
Date: 	Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:54:42 +0000
From: 	COFG <COFG@parliament.vic.gov.au>
To: 	COFG <COFG@parliament.vic.gov.au>



Good evening,

I am writing to provide a further update regarding the unacceptable privacy incident which occurred yesterday where email addresses of inquiry stakeholders were made public. On behalf of the Committee, I offer my sincerest apology that this has happened, and for any distress it has caused.

This occurred due to an administrative error in the Committee Secretariat’s processes.

I want to assure you that this matter is being taken very seriously. Throughout this inquiry, the safety and wellbeing of all participants has been an important consideration of its processes. The Committee deeply regrets that this incident may have impacted your trust in the process.

I have raised this with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and the Clerk’s Office is conducting a full review into the Committee Secretariat’s processes to ensure this does not happen again.

Please note that the stakeholder list is connected with a committee proceeding. Therefore, further disclosing, using or sharing that information, including email addresses, could be a breach of parliamentary privilege.

I kindly ask that, if you have not already done so, you please delete the email from your inbox (including in any related folders or Sent Items), and refrain from forwarding or sharing its contents.

I appreciate the cooperation shown by stakeholders and ask for your continued cooperation while the matter is reviewed.

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) provides information and guidance to individuals in relation to what actions you can take to reduce the risk of harm as a result of a privacy breach involving  email addresses. These actions include:

  * contacting *Victoria Police* on 13 14 44 if you are concerned about
    your physical safety. If you have *immediate safety concerns, call 000*;
  * if you experience online bullying or harassment, visit the Office of
    the eSafety Commissioner at esafety.gov.au
    . For more tips about staying safe
    online, visit Stay Smart Online at www.staysmartonline.gov.au; and
  * to assist with any mental or emotional distress, contact your
    General Practitioner, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13
    11 14.

Please refer to additional information available on OVIC’s website: https://ovic.vic.gov.au/privacy/for-the-public/data-breaches-and-you/.

The Committee has arranged a free dedicated counselling support service with the Parliament’s employee assistance provider, Converge. Any stakeholder requiring support may contact Converge using the below information.

*Service:*24/7 dedicated counselling support.

*Available:*6:00pm Thursday 30 July 2026 to 11:59pm Sunday 9 August 2026 – 24/7

*To access the service, please call 1300 687 327*

 1. You will be prompted by the *IVR to select 1 *for Critical Incident
    support.
 2. Once your call goes through, explain that you are calling to access
    standby phone support with reference number [ redacted ]
 3. The call will be transferred straight through to a consultant who is
    on standby.
 4. If a consultant is unavailable, they will obtain your full name and
    contact number, which will be passed on to the consultant to reach
    out to you directly

Additional support services have also been listed below.

The Committee’s inquiry was informed by a wide range of views and experiences, and we remain grateful for the contribution of our stakeholders and the trust they placed in the Committee. Deeply thoughtful and considered evidence shaped the Committee’s report, its 98 findings and 39 recommendations. Many people shared their experiences for the first time, and demonstrated immense courage in speaking out.

Our report charts a pathway for the Victorian Government to better support people who have been part of coercive high-control groups, and better protect Victorians from harm.

Kind regards,

Ella George

  Please be aware that the following support services are also available:

  * *Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service* – If you or someone
    you care about is living with the effects of abuse, neglect,
    violence or exploitation – Call 1300 657 380
    available 9 am to 5 pm 7 days a week, or visit http://blueknot.org.au/.
  * *Kids Helpline* – Call 1800 55 1800
    available 24/7, or visit https://kidshelpline.com.au/.
  * *Sexual Assault Crisis Line* – Call 1800 806 292
    or contact your local sexual assault service
    https://peak.sasvic.org.au/servicemap#gsc.tab=0.
  * *Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT)* – visit
    Find contact details for each SOCIT across the state
    https://www.police.vic.gov.au/sexual-offence-child-abuse-teams-centres.
  * *Victims of Crime Helpline* – Call 1800 819 817,
    available 8 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday and
    8 am to 5 pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, or Text 0427 767
    891, or visit victimsofcrime.vic.gov.au
    https://www.victimsofcrime.vic.gov.au/.
  * *13YARN* – Call 13 92 76, to talk with an
    Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter, or contact
    enquiries@13yarn.org.au

One person sent this response to my email:

This is an important report that the Committee has released, don’t get in the way of it

In fact, without the scandal, many people probably wouldn't have noticed the release of the report. Thanks to the scandal, I suspect ten times more people are downloading the report of the cult inquiry if for no other reason than checking if any groups they belong to have been included.

In the same week, the ruling Labor Party has removed their former leader, Jacinta Allan and replaced her with Ben Carroll. As I pointed out in my blog about the Jeremy Bicha & Debian incest scandal, the priest in Ben Carroll's district had made a trip to Boston in the 1990s to learn how they were covering up abuse. He came back to Australia and gave written reports to the former Archbishop Frank Little and his successor the late Cardinal George Pell.

As mentioned in another one of my own reports, on the day the late Cardinal George Pell died, I was in Italy to talk about coercive control problems with the Carabinieri.

 

Read more about my research into groups that evolve into cults.