The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged Victoria to become a leader in addressing harmful and abusive practices in destructive cults and called for it to expand coercive control laws to also apply to group-based contexts.
In a submission to a state parliamentary committee inquiry into recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, the RSA said common practices of coercive control could no longer be ignored.
The submission detailed common complaints that have been aired by survivors of destructive cults in recent media reporting, including: policies of “separation”, excommunication and shunning; financial control; restrictions on women; restrictions on personal relationships; prohibitions on young people pursuing tertiary education; and prohibitions on accessing life-saving treatment.
“The impact of such practices can no longer be brushed under the carpet. They are having devastating impacts on people’s lives – even, in extreme cases, contributing directly to deaths,” wrote RSA Executive Director Si Gladman.
The Victorian Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Issues Committee is currently hearing testimony from the public as part of the inquiry and is due to report to the state parliament by 30 September 2026.
In its submission, the RSA welcomed the committee’s focus on harms and not beliefs, and argued that most Australians would accept that governments have a role in responding to practices, activities and behaviours that caused harm and impacted people’s fundamental human rights.
Mr Gladman wrote that the RSA would like to see coercive control laws expanded from issues of domestic violence to also address coercive control in cults groups, with the introduction of offences for people using coercive practices that cause harm in group-based contexts.
The submission also called for government investment in support services tailored for survivors of destructive cults to help recover, re-integrate and re-connect with wider society.
“Many cult survivors and people who have escaped from high-demand religious groups suffer trauma and carry immense psychological burden,” wrote Mr Gladman.
The RSA also suggested that state authorities should prioritise coordination and information sharing across departments, agencies and sectors to effectively respond to issues of coercive control in such groups.
Plus, the submission suggested authorities could introduce initiatives through the education system to safeguard new generations from falling victim to the recruitment methods and practices of destructive cults.
“Victoria has an opportunity to be a world leader in this space, just as it has been in addressing other areas of institutional abuse and coercive control over recent years. Those reforms were informed by lived-experience expertise,” it said.
“Similarly, we hope to see the parliament take a survivor-led approach in pursuing a number of reforms relating to coercive control in cults.”
The establishment of the inquiry has sparked new levels of collaboration among cult survivors, with new advocacy groups Survivors of Coercive Cults and High-Control Groups and Stop Religious Coercion Australia submitting a jointly published the report, Beyond Belief: Responding to Coercive Control and High-Control Groups.
The RSA told the inquiry that it agreed with the argument in Beyond Belief that addressing coercive control in destructive cults was a “natural next step” for Victoria in ensuring justice, safety, and systemic accountability.
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Si Gladman is Executive Director at the Rationalist Society of Australia. You can contact him at sigladman@rationalist.com.au.