Council in cult corner
NSW ban but Coast green light MY CULT HERO
THE Gold Coast City Council says it will allow a behaviouralist linked to a “socially harmful cult” to continue running workshops, despite the cult being banned by the NSW Government and other shire councils.
The Bulletin this month revealed Tanya Curtis, a promoter of the Universal Medicine cult and director of Fabic Behavioural Specialist, was hosting monthly talks as part of the council-sponsored Active and Healthy Program.
A NSW Supreme Court civil jury last year found Universal Medicine to be a “socially harmful cult” that preyed on the vulnerable.
The civil jury also found that the cult’s leader, retired tennis coach Serge Benhayon, instructed students at Universal Medicine training workshops to touch the genitals of victims of sexual assault, had an indecent interest in girls as young as 10, engaged in inappropriate conduct towards women and vilified disabled people.
The jury also fond Universal Medicine engaged in misleading conduct in promoting the healing services it offers, preyed on cancer patients and made false claims about healing that caused harm.
Mr Benhayon, who describes himself as a reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci and a seer, features heavily in Ms Curtis’s published works and on her clinic’s website.
Ms Curtis also sells Mr Benhayon’s books on esoteric teachings in her Coast clinic and has featured in Universal Medicine videos.
Last week, Ms Curtis returned from a UM conference in Vietnam.
She has not responded to Bulletin questions.
Despite the court findings, Universal Medicine connections and saying they would investigate public complaints about Ms Curtis’s links to the cult, the council yesterday said her free GCCC council program would continue.
“The city regularly assesses various services and providers of the Active and Healthy program,” a council spokesman said.
“The city has reviewed feedback on these workshops and the current Active and Healthy program will as scheduled.”
In November 2018, the NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard directed NSW Health to ensure Universal Medicine, or individuals associated with the group, did not have association with any of its programs.
In the same month, Ballina Shire councillor Keith Williams moved a motion to cancel the cult’s local government programs following the Supreme Court civil case.
“Universal Medicine was running an event called Girls to Women, which was particularly concerning given the findings of the Supreme continue Bulletin