An anti-vaxxer flood relief group that went dark following an investigation by a state charity watchdog has relaunched under a new name, as one of its founders faces charges for alleged misuse or failing to account for funds.
Last year, Aussie Helping Hands was the subject of an investigation by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading after reportedly raising close to $500,000 for the purpose of helping Northern Rivers communities in NSW recover after flooding.
The group was started by three people with links to the anti-vaccine conspiracy movement: David Oneeglio, Dorothy Greatorex (who also goes by the name Dotti Janssen) and Hayley Birtles-Eades. The organisation billed itself as an initiative created by “awakened Aussies”. Greatorex and Oneeglio said that bank accounts containing hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations were frozen as part of the investigation.
Aussie Helping Hands promised to help flood victims by providing money and volunteers for the recovery. The founders positioned it as a transparent alternative to established charities like the Red Cross, which they criticised as corrupt or incompetent.
However, as Crikey reported at the time, Aussie Helping Hands at first did not provide documentation showing its work beyond a handful of testimonial videos. Some followers of the group on social media began to question how the money was being spent. After this was reported, the group started to include some vague, unverified descriptions of spending.
Then, following the investigation, the group’s website went offline and its Telegram channel stopped posting. It relaunched in October last year under a new, slightly varied name: “Aussie Helping Hearts”. Its website is now taking applications for help.
The group’s Telegram channel shows it has since run a volunteers appreciation event and was organising a $100-per-head launch event for Aussie Helping Hearts that was subsequently postponed due to “circumstances beyond our control”. Gone is any documentation about their previous fundraising and spending.
An Office of Fair Trading spokesperson told Crikey there are matters before the courts regarding Aussie Helping Hands.
Each of the three organisers has faced or will face court in Queensland. Greatorex wrote on the group’s website that she had been “cleared of any wrongdoing” but received a $750 fine for an unlawful appeal for support.
In Queensland, it’s illegal to fundraise for a one-off appeal unless the individual or group has registered with the Office of Fair Trading by applying for a sanction. The group’s website now lists a sanction number at the bottom.
Birtles-Eades has also been charged with the same offence of allegedly conducting an unlawful appeal for support with a court date yet to be fixed.
Oneeglio has been charged with allegedly converting money for own use or a failure to properly account for its use, conducting an unlawful appeal and failing to comply with the requirements of the state’s Collection Act.
Greatorex, Birtles-Eades and Oneeglio did not respond to a request for comment.
This seems to be a straight forward case of phoenixing which was supposed to be made illegal. It also appears to breach the federal Charities Act. So how is it that this mob is still operating?
Such is the resurgence of faith in the 21st century that any findings against the organisation, or its founders, will be taken by those who paid money to prove two things. 1. The ruthlessness of the deep state. 2. The justice of the cause. It’s a win-win.
Correct Hereward the Woke. This small group of individuals have taken their gullible followers for a ride in the full knowledge that if they are caught those same people will see any prosecution as proof of persecution of those who hold the special knowledge, by the dastardly peodophiles of the deep state. To the rest of us it proves the cynical conspiracy movement have no moral compass.
It never augurs well when an organisation’s website goes offline. A major red flag.
So where is the money now?
One must be so careful when making donations for a good cause. It is so difficult to know who will actually ensure that the most in need receive assistance and where support for repaired infrastructure will be met