Fact Sheet on GuriNgai and Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA)
What are High-Demand Groups?
Groups that demand intense loyalty, control members’ thoughts and actions, and often centre around a leader or fixed belief. They can be:
• Cult-like groups – control through manipulation and emotional pressure.
• False identity groups – based on fake claims about ancestry or culture.
• Conspiritual groups – mix conspiracy theories with spirituality or activism.
Case 1: GuriNgai (False Indigenous Identity Group)
• Claims to be an Aboriginal ‘tribe’, clan, group, organisation, but its name and identity are culturally and historically false.
• Genuine Aboriginal Guringai people are from north of the Hunter River, not Sydney or Central Coast.
• Leaders have made disproven genealogy claims.
• Members lack recognised Aboriginal ancestry for the claimed area.
• Harms real Indigenous communities by misrepresenting culture and taking resources.
• Leaving can cause “double trauma”: cult-like manipulation plus loss of a believed cultural identity.
Case 2: Coast Environmental Alliance (Conspiritual Cult)
• Led by Jake Cassar; mixes environmental activism with conspiracy theories and appropriated Indigenous culture and symbols.
• Frames members as ‘custodians’ and protectors of “sacred land” in a spiritual battle against hidden enemies.
• Uses rituals, emotional bonding, and leader charisma to create loyalty.
• Leaving means facing disillusionment, loss of community, and confronting unethical past actions.
Why Leaving is Hard
• Psychological challenges – anxiety, depression, identity crisis, trauma.
• Social challenges – loss of friendships, stigma, difficulty explaining experiences.
• Cognitive dissonance – conflict between the truth and what was believed in the group.
Recovery Steps
- Face the truth – accept evidence, even if painful.
- Rebuild identity – discover your real values and self outside the group.
- Process trauma – get therapy, ideally trauma-informed and culturally aware.
- Reconnect socially – build healthy, supportive relationships.
- Repair harm – if possible, make amends and support genuine causes.
Special Support Needs
• Former GuriNgai members – cultural sensitivity, guidance to learn about and support real Indigenous communities.
• Former CEA members – help to dismantle conspiracy thinking and re-engage with ethical environmental work.
Key Message
Recovery is possible with the right support. Each group requires tailored help that addresses both emotional healing and the specific harm caused, whether through false identity claims or conspiracy-based activism.
A Long Con, Gone on Too Long. 
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