Mission & Justice

Andrew Hornery; 10/5/08

The Church of Scientology has lost its grip on James Packer. The billionaire’s closest friends say he has quietly distanced himself from Scientology. Members of Mr Packer’s inner circle have confirmed that the billionaire, Scientology’s wealthiest member in the world, was no longer undertaking Scientology courses and had slowly moved away from the religion, telling his closest friends he no longer “needs it”. Mr Packer’s office did not respond to reporters’ calls yesterday.

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Michael Bachelard; 10/2/08

The Prime Minister, John Howard, has warned his MPs not to accept help from the Exclusive Brethren, and Kevin Rudd has refused their requests to meet him. Revelations of the religious sect’s covert political activism, the funding of their schools and attempts to influence the Family Court have made the Brethren political poison. Sources have said that the Mr Howard’s message filtered out via NSW Senator Bill Heffernan that MPs were not to accept help or donations from the group, as public suspicion of their influence on politics grows. Neither Mr Howard nor Senator Heffernan responded to queries yesterday.

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