Hillsong pastor cheating scandal9/15/2023 ![]() ![]() The politician claimed church money was used to pay more than $1m annually in royalties to Hillsong musicians including Houston’s son. “Hillsong followers believe the money they put in the poor box goes to the poor, but these documents show how that money is actually used to do the kind of shopping that would embarrass a Kardashian,” Wilkie said. He also alleged that Hillsong’s senior global pastor, Phil Dooley, who took over leadership of the church after Houston, had spent tens of thousands on business class flights for himself and his daughter. ![]() Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Wilkie claimed Brian Houston, who stepped down from the church’s leadership in 2022, used “private jets like Ubers”, alleging the church founder undertook trips costing $55,000, $52,000, $30,000, $22,000 and $20,000 in one three-month period. ![]() He also alleged lavish spending on luxury watches, luggage sets, designer clothes, skateboards, and cash gifts to board members for birthdays or anniversaries. He alleged they showed evidence of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion at the church, founded by pastor Brian Houston.Īmong the allegations aired by Wilkie – contained in two large stacks of folders filled with papers that he tabled in parliament – were claims that four members of the Houston family spent $150,000 of church money on a luxury retreat in Cancun, Mexico. 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. “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. “That is a failure of regulatory oversight every bit as alarming as Hillsong’s criminality,” the MP said in parliament on Thursday.īut 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. ![]()
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