Thread by @criprights

The burden of autism.

All the names, they stay with me. Connections upon connections - sometimes, it is useful. For organisations like #Hillsong.

I talked about current Hillsong Board member Stephen Crouch earlier today. And then I looked, and looked again. And saw this.

2/ Dr Crouch, who if you remember, was found by the ACCC to be liable for issues around Mercy Ministries, has quite the insurance business. And he is surrounded by names that are recently familiar. Because I read about them in bodies connected to Hillsong and Hillsong directors.

3/ A Christian insurer who also loans money to churches. That's quite an achievement. acsfinancial.com.au/about-us/

Dr Crouch. Michael Eadie. Craig Kellock. Scott Conway.

I read all those names earlier today.

Dr Crouch has quite the list of Hillsong Board appointments.

4/ How can you be effective on this many boards? acnc.gov.au/charity/person…

Alphacrucis University College Limited
Australian Christian Early Education
COMMUNITY VENUES LTD
Australia Property Trust
Christian Life Centre Pty Ltd
Hillsong Church Australia
Hillsong Church
Citycare

5/ Hillsong College
Hillsong International
Hillsong Media & Performing Arts
Christian Life Centre Pty Ltd
The Trustee For Garden City Property Trust
The Trustee For Hillsong Foundation
The Trustee for Hillsong International

That man must be very, very tired. That's a lot.

6/ But one of those things didnt look like the other and it went by his business name. 'Operation of a debenture fund that generated profits for the advancement of the Christian religion in Australia.' Receiving email addy is Scott Conway at ACS.

Aw, that's a nice thing to do.

7/ But then I read this. That it's more than 60 percent government funded. So I looked harder. Because surely not.

A charity program called - Accumulator? For Pentacostalism? THAT doesn't sound like charity to me.

Oh, and here are the Directors.

8/ Now Natalie Fielding, like Stephen, seems VERY busy. And when I looked at her Directorships, I was very interested to see that one of the Boards that she sits on is that of a charity started up by famous homophobe Gary Skinner and our good mate Minister Stuart Robert.

Watoto.

9/ Quite the kwinkydink, I think, but then again, perhaps Pentecostal circles are small and people overlap. Surely thats the case? And this is ACS, and is part of the bigger loan and insurance Christian program, yada. Surely this is innocuous?

This is when I get CURIOUS.

10/ So I go and have a mother's look.

There are no employees or volunteers, of course.

And the financials have me STUMPED. Maybe you can help, @SureshRajan6? acnc.gov.au/charity/charit…

And hey, they have 41 MILLION BUCKS?

Just four buddies generating wealth for Jesus. Right?

11/ Here are the last financials. …ilesprodstorage.blob.core.windows.net/public/1cfeed4…

Which seem unusual but then again we are talking about the Prosperity Gospel.

12/ What is interesting is when you start looking at what other pies the sticky little fingers of these men are in. Scott is seemingly the only listed person for the ACS Trust. Who don't need to report, because basic religious charity. acnc.gov.au/charity/charit…

13/ I am assuming this was before Hillsong broke away from Assemblies of God, this one and only financial report - yes? Oh, wait. This is not Hillsong related. Not directly.

Seems some of these men are also directors of churches. Eadie, Believe Church.

14/ There are some lines in the investor guide that worry me quite a lot, government funding aside. acsfinancial.com.au/wp-content/upl…

This, in particular.

Investors should note that the ACC ACCumulator is not subject to the usual Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) requirements...

15/ ...to issue a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or other disclosure document and be registered or have a trust deed. ACC ACCumulator, It’s Application Form or this Guide, has not been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

16/ ACC ACCumulator is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Therefore, an investor in ACC ACCumulator will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959.

17/ Investments in ACC ACCumulator are intended to be a means for investors to support the charitable purposes of ACC.'

It just sounds dodgy af. Is it, @ACNC_gov_au?

And look it might just be my bias because of this - accc.gov.au/media-release/… - but I worry. A LOT.

18/ Because this looks like nothing more than exploitation, these stories about Mercy Ministries. What they did to those girls, through government funded sources. And I wonder where that government funding came from, then and now.

And who authored it.

19/ Should these charities be reporting to the ACNC? Yes. They should. probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2022/08/n…

One final thing. It appears that Hillsong and ACC Directorate and Australian Christian Churches all share the same postal address.

Yep.

I can’t find the contracts or procurement for that govt funding. @AusPolMate? Ideas?