(Image: Private Media)

Health Minister Mark Butler is seeking an urgent briefing from health officials after a series of Crikey disclosures on the Morrison government’s funding of faith-based rehabilitation services.

His office said Butler had sought the briefing on the status of grants made to the Pentecostal-linked Esther Foundation and the Hillsong-linked one80TC rehab facilities, as well as “assessment processes” in place for “private rehabilitation services receiving Commonwealth funds”.

Crikey’s reports on the rehab facilities were described as “concerning”.

Crikey has revealed what appears to be direct political intervention from the Morrison government in grants to the two faith-based facilities. Both were awarded multimillion-dollar grants on the eve of the 2019 election through Health Department-administered grants programs and with no clear explanation of the process.

As we revealed earlier this year, former prime minister Scott Morrison personally pledged $4 million to the Perth-based Esther Foundation, which has since gone into voluntary administration after evidence emerged that girls and young women had been subjected to religious-based abuse at the facility for well over a decade. 

A document Crikey obtained through freedom of information showed the foundation had made a request for funding directly to the office of then health minister Greg Hunt four weeks before Morrison’s announcement at Esther HQ.

This week we reported on the case of the one80TC rehab facility which received $1.8 million in federal grants, also on the eve of the 2019 election . According to Crikey sources the grant request was initially denied by the department and was approved only after the government was lobbied by interests linked to the rehab facility.

A former one80TC resident who was required to attend Hillsong church services and to work providing unpaid labour at Hillsong events — including washing Brian Houston’s luxury car — described the facility as “a Hillsong indoctrination centre with a mild interest in rehab”.

Butler’s move to get to the bottom of how and why the grants were made honours a commitment he made before the May election, when details emerged of the abuse of residents undergoing rehab at the Esther Foundation. It has emerged that girls as young as 14 were subject to exorcisms and to prayer sessions dedicated to ridding them of the “evil” of homosexuality.

As opposition health spokesman Butler said it was “just not good enough” and that people “will want to know what due diligence was conducted” before funding was approved for the Esther Foundation. Butler’s move adds to a West Australian parliamentary inquiry into the Esther Foundation which will begin hearing testimony from former residents next week.

Butler’s action might also bring some much-needed transparency and accountability to how the government allocates taxpayer dollars to faith-based rehab organisations which have operated in an environment where there has been little regulation of standards.

It might also bring some transparency to the Health Department. Crikey first sought answers about the funding of one80TC from the department last week and was told to expect an answer within 24 hours. But more than a week later the department has not responded with an explanation of how it came to approve close to $2 million in public money.

If Butler can restore at least some form of accountability it will be enormously helpful, not only in terms of public trust but above all to vulnerable people in questionable rehab who have no voice.

If you have any information you wish to share, please contact David Hardaker at dhardaker@protonmail.com.