It’s Hard to Explain
In Victoria, a parliamentary inquiry is finally listening to what survivors of cults and high-control groups have been saying for decades. The testimony emerging is devastating in scale and strikingly consistent: across registered charities, religious organisations, health practices, and community…
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Why Don’t Cults Pay Tax?
At first glance, this seems like a simple question. If an organisation harms people, why does it receive charitable status and the tax concessions that come with it? The obvious answer is failure of enforcement. But that does not quite…
Keep readingMedia Release
Survivors of cults and high-control groups across Victoria are speaking up in unprecedented numbers, many for the first time, and expressing genuine hope that change is finally possible. Their experiences have shaped Beyond Belief, a survivor-led report co-developed by the…
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Briefing: Parliamentary Inquiry
Tomorrow I will be presenting evidence to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. For anyone who cannot wait to read a set of parliamentary inquiry slides on a Sunday night,…
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Shock/Value: Media guide
This week saw the release of Shock/Value, a media guide to help journalists and content creators engage with cult survivors safely and ethically. SOCCHG asked me to write the guide to support responsible media reporting that accurately reflects lived-experience and…
Keep readingBeyond Belief
Beyond Belief: Responding to Cults and High-Control Groups in Victoria emerged from a participatory process involving 64 survivors and their supporters, each bringing their own history, insight and expertise. Together we traced how high-control groups operate in Victoria, where systems…
Keep readingConversion Practices in the Jewish Community: Community Forum
I recently spoke at a community forum run by Jewish Care, exploring LGBTQA+ conversion practices within the Jewish community. The forum highlighted the different ways these harms appear in close-knit cultural and religious settings, and the questions communities are asking…
Keep readingCommunity Briefing on Conversion Bill: University of Divinity
Last week I took part in a community briefing about Victoria’s conversion practices bill, hosted by: The session brought together survivors, community leaders and practitioners to unpack what the legislation meant in practice and what gaps still needed attention.
Keep readingABC Melbourne: Conversion Practices
Yesterday I spoke with Raf Epstein on ABC Radio Melbourne about the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill. We talked about how lived experience has shaped the Bill and some of the religious freedom concerns being raised. Listen here…
Keep readingABC News: LGBTQA+ conversion practices
ABC story about Victoria’s decision to move ahead with a ban on conversion practices. Read here https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-08/victoria-moves-to-ban-gay-conversion-practices/12851294
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Patrick McIvor 