Propped Up Power – Catholic Monopolies in Australia’s Hospitals, Schools, and Aged Care
About this ebook
Australia calls itself a secular democracy — yet one church dominates the nation’s most essential services.
In Propped Up Power, Charlie Armstrong Adams exposes how the Roman Catholic Church, representing less than one-fifth of the population, has come to control vast networks of hospitals, schools, and aged care facilities — all heavily subsidised by taxpayer dollars. What began as charity in the 1800s has evolved into a religious monopoly disguised as public service, leaving minorities, secular Australians, and even professionals of other faiths dependent on institutions governed by Catholic doctrine.
This groundbreaking book uncovers:
How Catholic hospitals shape patient care through religious ethical codes that override lawful procedures.
The rise of Catholic schools as a parallel education system, funded by the state yet enforcing conformity on staff and families.
The expansion of Catholic aged care into a quasi-monopoly, restricting end-of-life choices for Australians of all beliefs.
The hidden influence of Catholic board members in government policy, ensuring privileges are defended from within the system.
The chilling effect on minorities, whistleblowers, and critics who risk exclusion or blacklisting in Catholic-dominated sectors.
As Australia becomes more multicultural and secular, this system is increasingly out of step with reality. Minority taxpayers now fund institutions that can silence their voices and limit their freedoms.
Part history, part investigation, and part warning, Propped Up Power reveals the contradiction of church–state fusion at the heart of Australian public life. It calls for a future built on secular investment in health, education, and aged care — one where all Australians are served equally, without denominational privilege.
If you want to understand how one church came to hold such sway in a diverse democracy — and why it matters now more than ever — this book is essential reading.
About the author
Charlie Armstrong Adams is an independent researcher and writer focused on the intersections of religion, politics, and state power in Australia. His work investigates how institutions shape public life and explores the hidden ways that influence and control are exercised behind the scenes.
Charlie’s interest in these issues is not only academic but deeply personal. He has himself been targeted by the NSW government, where he believes Catholic influence within government seats was used in attempts to silence him and marginalise his voice. These experiences have sharpened his determination to expose the fusion of church and state that undermines Australia’s democratic and multicultural ideals.
Through books, essays, and public commentary, Charlie documents how systems of power, monopoly, and covert suppression affect everyday Australians — especially minorities and dissenters. His writing combines investigative detail, historical analysis, and personal testimony, making his work both accessible and urgent for readers concerned with liberty, equality, and truth.
Propped Up Power – Catholic Monopolies in Australia’s Hospitals, Schools, and Aged Care is his latest contribution to this mission: a call to reassert secular investment in public services and ensure that no denomination holds unaccountable sway over the lives of citizens.
