The Australian, Wed 06 Oct 1965, p1

Report calls for ban on scientology

The banning of scientology is recommended in the Board of Inquiry's Report into Scientology, tabled in the Victorian Legislative Assembly yesterday.

The 202-page report is one of the most damning documents ever to come before the House. It condemns scientology in these words:

"Scientology is evil, its techniques evil, its practice is a serious threat to the community mentally, morally and socially, and its adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill."

The report says that the founder of scientology, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, is a fraud and scientology is a fraud.

£37,500 COST

The inquiry, conducted by Mr K. V. Anderson, QC, of Melbourne, lasted 160 days and cost the taxpayer £37,500. "The quality of filth and depravity recorded on the files of Melbourne's scientology centre almost defies description," says the report, which will go on sale at 13/3 a copy.

A WOMAN who was "processed into insanity" during a demonstration for the inquiry.

DISCUSSIONS of abortions which took place among the staff at the Melbourne scientology centre during coffee breaks.

THE POSSIBILITIES of extortion and blackmail using files compiled during "processing" of people who lost all inhibitions and revealed their most intimate secrets.

FEES which brought in £273,000 during the six years up to June 30 last year.

The founder of scientology, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, 55, is a former writer of books of science fiction and fantasy.

The report contains incredible examples of people who believed Hubbard's weird theories, to become mentally, morally and physically ruined.

"Hubbard is a fraud and scientology is a fraud," says the report.

"Adherence to scientology is sustained by a mixture of mental conditioning and fear.

"The mental conditioning is effected by hypnotic techniques and procedures which have a brainwashing effect.

"Scientology robs people of their initiative, their sense of responsibility, their critical faculties and sometimes their reason. It induces them mentally to debase and enslave themselves."

Mr Anderson recommends that all psychologists should be registered so that scientology can be stamped out.

Mr Rylah told the house that one section of the report, appendix 19, which dealt with moral laxity, was too obscene to be printed as part of the whole report for public circulation.

This section could be made available to members of the Parliament for private perusal.

Mr Anderson made some references to moral laxity in his report proper but added:

PERVERSION

"It should not be thought that the foregoing examples exhaust the case in which matters of sex or perversion were dealt with in an obscene and unhibited way, nor that they mark the limits of mental depravity reached."

He said that by way of example, part of the evidence of a Mrs Williams had been set out in appendix 19.


Other states will consider action

Health authorities in other states are anxiously awaiting copies of the scientology report.

A senior official of the NSW Health Department said last night that it would examine the report to determine what line of action might be followed to stamp out scientology there.

Scientology has virtually gone "underground" in Sydney since the start of the Melbourne inquiry two years ago.

However, in two of its new guises it still advertises in one and sometimes two Sydney newspapers.

The most frequent ad, which appears in the "amusement" columns is for "Free IQ Tests."

These can be had at "the Australian Institute of Applied Psychology" in King Street.

Another organisation, "The Sydney Test Centre", operates out of Riley Street.

The "Hubbard Institute of Scientology" still operates in Bathurst.