Anderson Report
Encyclopedia
The Anderson Report is the colloquial name of the report of the Board of Inquiry into Scientology, an official inquiry into the Church of Scientology
conducted for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was written by Kevin Victor Anderson
QC
and published in 1965.
a few miles from East Grinstead
in Surrey
, England
. The Church of Scientology had spread from its origin in USA to a number of English-speaking countries and soon attracted attention. Several official inquiries were made into Scientology
in England, Australia, and elsewhere and a number of reports published by respective governments in the late sixties and early seventies. The Anderson Report was the first of these.
The Victorian Legislative Council
appointed a Board of Inquiry on the 27th November 1963 in response to a Private Member's Bill
proposed by J.W. Galbally to prohibit Scientology in the State. At this time the Church was represented in Melbourne
by the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International
(HASI), which had premises at 157-159 Spring Street.
. It is not necessarily presided over by a judge
or a magistrate
and does not sit in a courtroom
; witnesses are not subpoena
ed but appear by invitation. It is not bound by the rules of evidence
. The Board of Inquiry into Scientology consisted of Mr Anderson sitting alone, assisted by Mr. Gordon Just who was instructed by the Victorian Crown Solicitor. After an initial sitting on 6 December 1963, the Board sat in the theatrette of the National Herbarium of Victoria
from 17 February 1964 to 21 April 1965.
The HASI was represented by counsel J.R. O'Shea and I.G. Abraham, who called as witnesses HASI staff members and many individuals who had received Scientology training and counselling. HASI files and publications were also tendered in evidence. They withdrew from the hearings on 12 November 1964 claiming biased conduct of the Inquiry by Anderson as the reason.
Two former Scientologists, Phillip Wearne and Douglas Moon, appeared as the main witnesses for the Committee for Mental Health and National Security (an ad hoc unincorporated organisation opposed to Scientology). They were represented by counsel Warren Fagan. Dr Eric Cunningham Dax
, Chairman of the Mental Health Authority of Victoria, and one of his staff, Dr. M.B. Macmillan, coordinated the evidence given by expert witnesses in medicine and psychiatry. Dax also conferred with Wearne before the latter gave evidence at the Inquiry.
A suit was brought against Anderson
and his assistant Gordon Just who produced the report, in 1971. The citations in the Victorian Reports are: Hubbard Association of Scientologists -v- Anderson (1971) VR 788; Hubbard Association of Scientologists v. Anderson (1972) VR 340 [appeal of 1971 VR 740]; Hubbard Association of Scientologists International v Anderson and Just (No 2) (1972) VR 577. The Victorian Parliament passed special legislation to give the two immunity from these writs.
Jane Kember tried to get the report removed from a library. She wrote a memo about 'handling' Paulette Cooper
(and her critical book about Scientology) in 1972. Part 12 of the memo asks:
. However, this Act was amended in 1982 to remove all references to Scientology and was repealed in 1987.
The Anderson Report is regarded by some as controversial, as evidenced in the Australian Government's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
report regarding freedom of religion and belief.
Similar reports were conducted in:
This list of reports is not exhaustive.
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
conducted for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was written by Kevin Victor Anderson
Kevin Victor Anderson
-Education and early career:Anderson was educated at Xavier College Melbourne, and became a Clerk of Courts in what is now the Magistrates Court of Victoria on leaving school in 1929. He completed a part time Bachelor of Laws at the University of Melbourne in 1937. During the Second World War he...
QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and published in 1965.
Background
In 1959, L. Ron Hubbard had set up the Church's headquarters at Saint HillSaint Hill
Saint Hill may refer to:* Saint Hill Green, a village near East Grinstead, Sussex, England* Saint Hill Manor, head office for the UK branch of the Church of Scientology...
a few miles from East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Church of Scientology had spread from its origin in USA to a number of English-speaking countries and soon attracted attention. Several official inquiries were made into Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
in England, Australia, and elsewhere and a number of reports published by respective governments in the late sixties and early seventies. The Anderson Report was the first of these.
The Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
appointed a Board of Inquiry on the 27th November 1963 in response to a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
proposed by J.W. Galbally to prohibit Scientology in the State. At this time the Church was represented in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
by the Hubbard Association of Scientologists International
Hubbard Association of Scientologists International
The Hubbard Association of Scientologists or HAS was the original corporation founded in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard that managed all Scientology organizations. The HAS evolved from the Office of L. Ron Hubbard located in Phoenix, Arizona...
(HASI), which had premises at 157-159 Spring Street.
The Board of Inquiry
A Board of Inquiry does not have the same legal status as a trialTrial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
. It is not necessarily presided over by a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
or a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and does not sit in a courtroom
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
; witnesses are not subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed but appear by invitation. It is not bound by the rules of evidence
Rules of evidence
Rules of evidence govern whether, when, how, and for what purpose, proof of a legal case may be placed before a trier of fact for consideration....
. The Board of Inquiry into Scientology consisted of Mr Anderson sitting alone, assisted by Mr. Gordon Just who was instructed by the Victorian Crown Solicitor. After an initial sitting on 6 December 1963, the Board sat in the theatrette of the National Herbarium of Victoria
National Herbarium of Victoria
The National Herbarium of Victoria is one of Australia’s premier state herbaria. It was established in 1853 and is sited within the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. The present building was constructed in 1934 through a donation from philanthropist Sir Macpherson Robertson. It, along with a...
from 17 February 1964 to 21 April 1965.
The HASI was represented by counsel J.R. O'Shea and I.G. Abraham, who called as witnesses HASI staff members and many individuals who had received Scientology training and counselling. HASI files and publications were also tendered in evidence. They withdrew from the hearings on 12 November 1964 claiming biased conduct of the Inquiry by Anderson as the reason.
Two former Scientologists, Phillip Wearne and Douglas Moon, appeared as the main witnesses for the Committee for Mental Health and National Security (an ad hoc unincorporated organisation opposed to Scientology). They were represented by counsel Warren Fagan. Dr Eric Cunningham Dax
Eric Cunningham Dax
Dr Eric Cunningham Dax, AO, BSc Lond, HonMD, FRACP, FRANZCP, HonFRCPsych was a British psychiatrist resident in Australia from 1952.-Clinical Work in England:...
, Chairman of the Mental Health Authority of Victoria, and one of his staff, Dr. M.B. Macmillan, coordinated the evidence given by expert witnesses in medicine and psychiatry. Dax also conferred with Wearne before the latter gave evidence at the Inquiry.
The Report
The Anderson Report concluded that "Scientology is a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception" and that it "is not, and does not claim to be, a religion". Anderson acknowledged the emotional tone of his report, justifying it as follows:If there should be detected in this Report a note of unrelieved denunciation of scientology, it is because the evidence has shown its theories to be fantastic and impossible, its principles perverted and ill-founded, and its techniques debased and harmful. [...] While making an appeal to the public as a worthy system whereby ability, intelligence and personality may be improved, it employs techniques which further its real purpose of securing domination over and mental enslavement of its adherents. It involves the administration by persons without any training in medicine or psychology of quasi-psychological treatment, which is harmful medically, morally and socially.
Scientology Response
In 1967 the Church of Scientology published Kangaroo Court, a critique of the conduct of the Board of Inquiry, alleging collusion between witnesses and alleging bias by Anderson and Dax.A suit was brought against Anderson
Kevin Victor Anderson
-Education and early career:Anderson was educated at Xavier College Melbourne, and became a Clerk of Courts in what is now the Magistrates Court of Victoria on leaving school in 1929. He completed a part time Bachelor of Laws at the University of Melbourne in 1937. During the Second World War he...
and his assistant Gordon Just who produced the report, in 1971. The citations in the Victorian Reports are: Hubbard Association of Scientologists -v- Anderson (1971) VR 788; Hubbard Association of Scientologists v. Anderson (1972) VR 340 [appeal of 1971 VR 740]; Hubbard Association of Scientologists International v Anderson and Just (No 2) (1972) VR 577. The Victorian Parliament passed special legislation to give the two immunity from these writs.
Jane Kember tried to get the report removed from a library. She wrote a memo about 'handling' Paulette Cooper
Paulette Cooper
Paulette Marcia Cooper is an American author who is best known for activism against the Church of Scientology and the harassment she suffered as a result. Cooper's books have sold close to a half a million copies.-Early life:...
(and her critical book about Scientology) in 1972. Part 12 of the memo asks:
"The library in D.C. has a copy of the Melbourne Inquiry Report. Paulette recommends this. Why is the copy still there? Please get it removed"
Controversy
The Anderson Report was the basis of the Psychological Practices Act, 1965Church of the New Faith
Church of the New Faith was a name used by the Church of Scientology in Australia from 1969 until 1983, owing to laws in various States of Australia that attempted to restrict or ban the practice of Scientology.- History :...
. However, this Act was amended in 1982 to remove all references to Scientology and was repealed in 1987.
The Anderson Report is regarded by some as controversial, as evidenced in the Australian Government's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission is a national human rights institution, a statutory body funded by, but operating independently of, the Australian Government. It has the responsibility for investigating alleged infringements under Australia’s anti-discrimination legislation...
report regarding freedom of religion and belief.
See also
- Scientology In AustraliaScientology in AustraliaScientology has existed in Australia since the mid 1950s. Their numbers vary depending upon the source: according to the 2007 census it has a growing population, 2507 members, up from 1489 ten years ago, while Scientology itself has claimed 150,000 members in Australia. It has headquarters in...
Similar reports were conducted in:
- England - The Foster ReportFoster ReportThe Foster Report is a 1971 report titled Enquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology, written by Sir John Foster for the government of the United Kingdom, regarding the Church of Scientology....
(Enquiry into the Practice and Effects of Scientology) - New Zealand - The Dumbleton-Powles ReportDumbleton-Powles ReportThe Dumbleton-Powles Report is a report prepared for the government of New Zealand by E.V. Dumbleton and Sir Guy Richardson Powles, and published on 30 June 1969....
(Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Hubbard Scientology Organisation in New Zealand) - Canada - The Lee Report (Sectarian Healers and Hypnotherapy)
This list of reports is not exhaustive.
External links
- "The Anderson Report"
- "The Anderson Report" (another site)
- High Court of Australia Decision in Church of the New Faith v. Commissioner of Pay-roll Tax (Victoria) 1983
- Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission "Article 18 Freedom of Religion and Belief"
- "The Dumbleton-Powles Report"
- "The Foster Report"
- "The Lee Report"