Anti-vaccine group Reignite Democracy Australia is going bankrupt, founder claims

Australia’s most prominent anti-vaccine group, Reignite Democracy Australia, is set to go bankrupt after a stream of hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations dried up, according to the organisation’s founder.

In a video posted on YouTube on Wednesday night, Monica Smit told followers that the organisation is running out of money and will cease offering services in two months unless there is a flood of donations or subscriptions.

“We’re going to go bankrupt and that’s going to affect me and that’s not really fair,” she said.

Reignite Democracy Australia emerged from Melbourne’s lockdown in 2020 and since then has become a major organising force in Australia’s anti-vaccine, anti-COVID restriction movement. But as interest in the anti-vaccine movement fades, Smit and her group have struggled to stay relevant. 

Smit blamed Reignite Democracy Australia’s financial stresses on government regulation, expenses like employee superannuation, and her own lack of knowledge on how to run an organisation. She also hinted at being on a payment plan for unpaid taxes. 

As part of the plea, Smit posted two financial documents that purport to show the group’s income and expenses from halfway through 2022 until the end of April this year.

These unverified accounts show a precipitous drop in income for the group with the organisation spending nearly $80,000 more than it made during the period. 

In the second half of 2022, Reignite Democracy Australia brought in $130,000 in donations. This amount slumped to just $47,000 in the first four months of the year.

Other major sources of income included $43,000 from the anti-vaccine group’s “freedom summit” last year, $12,000 from their business directory and $9000 in merchandise over the 10 months. The group’s subscription-based social media app appears to have pulled in a paltry $380 during the same period.

Smit claims that the organisation’s main expense was paying employees. The documents claim that Reignite Democracy Australia spent $228,000 in wages and salary over the 10 months. Smit said in the video that Reignite Democracy Australia spent $461,000 on wages in one year, but didn’t specify which year. She also claims that she’s only drawn $500 a week in salary personally.

Other significant costs listed include $82,000 on legal expenses, $40,000 on advertising and campaign expenses, $23,000 on website development, $13,000 on international travel and $12,000 on motor vehicle expenses. There’s also nearly $3000 listed as being spent on worker compensation.

There is no financial information provided for the group’s prior periods, making it impossible to verify Smit’s claims that the organisation is running out of money.

Smit said that she’ll continue to post on social media but will cease Reignite Democracy Australia’s other services. She mentioned a forthcoming book and her ongoing legal battle against COVID-19 infringement fines. Smit has recently become more involved in anti-LGBTQIA+ activism after first showing interest last year. 

“I’m not necessarily sad,” Smit said. “I still believe that if I do what’s right in my own heart, somewhere along the line, God will look after me.”