A Victorian parliamentary committee investigating cults accidentally sent the email addresses of anonymous survivors to group members and journalists. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The committee into 'cults and organised fringe groups' tabled its report in parliament on Wednesday. Shortly after midday, it emailed hundreds of recipients to inform them the report had been published, but erroneously left their addresses visible.
"We would like to sincerely apologise for the email sent earlier today in which recipient email addresses were inadvertently included in the CC field," the legal and social issues committee said in a second email sent 42 minutes later.
"Due to an administrative technical error during the distribution process, the email was sent with visible recipient details. We understand the importance of protecting personal information and regret this mistake.
"To help minimise any further disclosure of information, we kindly ask that you delete the email from your inbox and any related folders (including Sent Items if applicable), and refrain from forwarding or sharing its contents. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We are reviewing our processes to help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future."
Karen Alsop, who publicly gave evidence to the committee about the Casey City church, said the email risked further traumatising people who lived with complex conditions including PTSD. People belonging to groups accused of being cults during the inquiry were also included on the email, she said.
The survivors included whistleblowers who trusted they would remain anonymous even as they spoke out about their experiences.
"This is the worst thing that parliament could have done to the survivors," she said.
"I feel devastated for those in particular who were anonymous and for those whose cult actually also submitted and now can see the names of members who submitted.
"This exactly demonstrates the complete lack of ability of government bodies to act and protect victims and whistleblowers … survivors are shocked and scared."
The report included 39 recommendations for dealing with cults and supporting survivors. This included new legislation to criminalise group-based coercion and to develop nationally consistent approaches to identifying and responding to group-based coercion. It also called for support for Victoria police to establish a "clear internal pathway" for matters involving coercive high-control groups.
The committee also recommended that the state government establish "a formal lived experience advisory body", to address the impacts of coercive high-control groups.
Clare Heath-McIvor, from Survivors of Coercive Cults and High-Control Groups, said it was important that the recommendations were "belief-neutral", with the report specifically recommending against introducing any legal definition of a cult.
"This is a vitally important recommendation that we fully support," she said.
"No victim should have to prove their group is a cult before proving that group-based coercive control and abuse occurred, or that it mattered.
"Any group can be a cult – multi-level marketing cults, yoga cults, political cults and more all exist. Cults are not a phenomenon of belief, but coercive control and domination across multiple domains of life."