Extract from ABC News
The family of a man who has been friends with Prime Minister Scott Morrison for decades and follows the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon have revealed they are so concerned about his beliefs they have notified the national security hotline several times.
Key points:
- Tim Stewart has become embroiled in a political movement based on the bizarre conspiracy theory QAnon
- His family have become so concerned they believe he is a potential national security risk
- Tim Stewart and his wife Lynelle's friendship with the Morrisons goes back to the early 1990s
The Stewart family have broken their silence to Four Corners because they are worried about the immersion of Tim Stewart in QAnon beliefs.
QAnon's followers broadly believe that former US President Donald Trump has waged a secret war against corrupt and satanic elites, including parts of government (dubbed the "deep state") and A-list celebrities.
Tim Stewart and his wife Lynelle's friendship with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny began in the early 90s.
Tim has been described on social media by Scott Morrison as an "amazing guy". Lynelle Stewart worked for her "forever friend" Jenny Morrison at the official Prime Ministerial residence in Sydney, Kirribilli House, as a household attendant until late last year.
During
that time, the Stewart family say their concerns about Tim grew as he
has become increasingly obsessed with the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Tim's sister Karen Stewart says his views are extreme.
"Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles," Karen says.
"I don't understand why the PM would want to be seen to be with someone who has such radical beliefs."
Scott Morrison has not responded on the record to questions about whether he and Tim Stewart are still friends.
When asked about Four Corners's upcoming story in a recent press conference, the Prime Minister said it was disappointing the program would seek to cast aspersions on him and his family.
"I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation. I clearly do not," Mr Morrison said.
Karen Stewart says, "the experience of watching someone become radicalised is the most unusual thing," but she feels it was her "civic duty to make that phone call" to the national security hotline.
"We decided we can make excuses for lots of things but if we're under threat and our safety is a concern, we have to legitimately inform somebody," Karen says.
"So, we did make a report to the authorities to ensure that we were doing the right thing as community members."
Tim Stewart believes 'evil people' are trying to harvest children's blood
Tim Stewart's blog, Sideways Step, lays out a central thesis of the QAnon conspiracy theory — that a group of leftist elites are running a paedophile ring designed to harvest children's blood.
"The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission," Mr Stewart writes.
"Furthermore, it is focused on children, who are more innocent and unaware …
"Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity? … Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?"
Tim's family says he told them he could talk to cockroaches and that both former American first lady Michelle Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were actually men.
"They believe there's a spiritual warfare being waged and that they have knowledge of this and so that they're on a crusade to win to make sure that the Satanists are overthrown," Karen says.
Four Corners has learned that Australia's top spy chief, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, has also been made aware of the concerns about Tim Stewart.
The internet's 'saddest place'
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank that examines extremism, recently reported that Australia was the fourth most active country for QAnon supporters after the US, Canada and the UK.
Jitarth Jadeja is a moderator of an online forum for people who've lost family members to QAnon. The Reddit group has about 160,000 members.
"Every day I see … stories of families being ripped apart; people's children being kicked out of the house by their parents. People having to call off marriages after decades," Mr Jadeja says.
"It is the saddest place on the internet."
Mr Jadeja knows the power of the conspiracy theory. He was completely engrossed in it for one and a half years.
"The power is the behavioural change that it causes in a believer, it's destructive to the person themselves and their relationships, their family and friends."
"It destroyed beyond repair a lot, if not most, of my relationships."
Tim Stewart's mother Val has watched her son's dramatic change.
"I'm not a psychologist, I'm his mum and I hope that one day, some of this might be in the past, but I know that there are just concerns that we would have in hearing and watching some of what has happened over particularly this last year or so," Val says.
Tim's Twitter account has been permanently suspended for "engaging in coordinated harmful activity".
The family has been fractured further by politics.
Karen Stewart ran as a candidate for the Greens in the last state election, while Tim has become more and more immersed in QAnon and Trumpist politics.
Karen Stewart says her brother has told her that, "if people wear red shoes, then they're wearing red so that when babies are slaughtered and the blood falls on the ground that no-one will see the blood spatter".
She says the conspiracy theory is so extreme that anyone who doesn't believe in QAnon is considered a "paedophile enabler".
"And so, they've really weaponised that from a political standpoint."
'You have to maintain the public's trust'
On social media, Tim Stewart has shared material by Donald Trump saying the US election victory for Joe Biden was "The Big Lie", compared vaccine promotion to Nazism, and reposted comments about overthrowing "the tyrannical ruling class".
"The Deep State … have committed open electoral fraud in full view of the world," he wrote of the US election result.
"Things are about to get very messy for those who commit treason and for those who aid and abet those committing treason."
Chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration Miles Taylor describes the QAnon conspiracy theory as "indiscriminately crazy" and believes Mr Morrison should condemn it.
Mr Taylor says he and his colleagues worried that the "vitriolic rhetoric" of conspiracy theories like QAnon "could jump the tracks into violence very, very easily".
"It wasn't just a law enforcement concern, we started to view it as a real national security threat," Mr Taylor says.
"I think it's important for the Prime Minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views. That's really important.
"We all have friends and family members that have unorthodox views, but when you're put in a position of public trust you have to maintain the public's trust."
Tim Stewart told Four Corners he doesn't promote or support any kind of violence.
"I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that's been put out there, which are just hit pieces."
In response to questions, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister told Four Corners:
"This is a politically motivated slur against the Prime Minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group."
Breakdown of family over radical beliefs
Apart from their national security concerns, the Stewart family is also confronting the breakdown of a relationship with a son and a brother.
They're speaking out as a warning to other families about the dangers of online extremism.
"I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain the loss of a family member," Karen says.
"And I know my mother has viewed it, she's described it as grieving. Grieving the loss of someone who's still alive and that's — it's a very confusing emotion."
Watch the full investigation on Four Corners tonight at 8:30pm on ABC TV or livestream on the Four Corners Facebook page
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