By Michael Bachelard
CORRESPONDENCE between the Exclusive Brethren and John Howard reveals the religious sect had a warm and familiar relationship with the former prime minister and offered regular political advice.
The Age has obtained four letters in which unidentified sect leaders congratulated Mr Howard on the Iraq war and gave political advice about Medicare. The group also recommended massive water projects funded by the sale of Telstra.
The letters show Mr Howard met two Brethren leaders in his Sydney office on the day New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark referred sect members to police because they hired private detectives to tail her and her husband, and spread rumours that her husband was gay.
After that September 2006 meeting, Mr Howard wrote to the Brethren — whose members do not vote — to say he "enjoyed our recent discussion" and to commiserate with them about the "campaign against you by Senator (Bob) Brown and others".
Earlier that year, Senator Brown, leader of the Greens, had tried to launch a Senate inquiry into the sect's involvement in the 2004 federal election and the Tasmanian state election.
The Age obtained the letters after a 14-month-long freedom-of-information bid during which Mr Howard's office stalled at each step.
The sect's letters offer "continual" prayers for Mr Howard, his wife and his family.
In the first letter, sent in April 2003, sect leaders congratulated Mr Howard for being invited to George Bush's Texas ranch in the same week the US President declared "mission accomplished" in Iraq.
"God has clearly supported and vindicated the initiative taken (in Iraq), and we are assured He will continue to do so as there is dependence on Him for guidance," they wrote.
In September that year, Brethren leaders wrote complaining of the "tens of millions of dollars" the Medicare levy had cost the Brethren but cautioned Mr Howard about a Medicare overhaul package proposed by then health minister Kay Patterson.
"We strongly believe that if you change Medicare in any shape or form before the next election, you will lose it. If you consider it necessary to change Medicare we suggest you leave it till after the next election."
Two weeks later, Senator Patterson was sacked and Tony Abbott installed as health minister to radically boost the package.
In May 2004, the Brethren wrote that they were "deeply concerned" about the media's "campaign to destabilise your government".
"The attention of the public needs to be diverted from matters such as the Iraq war, the supposed ill-treatment of Iraq prisoners and other contentious issues," they wrote.
They also suggested a massive project to transport water via aqueducts using funding from the sale of Telstra and the issue of bonds.
The Brethren runs a lucrative network of pump supply companies but spokesman Tony McCorkell said yesterday this was irrelevant to the water proposal. Brethren members were "concerned about good environmental policy", he said.
Federal police are investigating $370,000 of Brethren money spent, with minimal disclosure, on pro-Howard advertising in 2004.