Claims of financial misconduct, abuse and acts of public humiliation were brought forward this week by witnesses at the NSW inquiry into Redeemer Baptist School.
One founding student recalled her older sister being forced into a dog collar and pulled around by a lead, while the inquiry heard allegations some 50 children were placed in the homes of schoolmasters.
Alleged instances of sexual, physical, verbal, psychological, spiritual and financial abuse by the school were detailed to the education committee inquiry on Monday.
On Friday, University of Sydney accounting professor Clinton Free offered an appraisal of the school's available financial record.
"It seems to me extremely odd that we have an entity that's receiving 58 million dollars in government grants, that are Commonwealth and state, substantially acquiring property and not incurring labour costs in the operation of a school," he said.
"Something doesn't seem to gel in that algebra to me."
Accountant Graeme Glossop accused the school of running a "scheme of arrangement designed to avoid taxation", taking government funding for staff but operating on a volunteer model.
Redeemer, which has allegedly amassed a $140 million property portfolio, is the only school in the state that does not employ staff and relies entirely on volunteers for core teaching duties, the inquiry was told.
Volunteer teachers, also members of the church community, are paid stipends as little as $23,000 a year, a witness told the committee.
They have no employment entitlements such as leave, do not receive superannuation and have no personal assets.
Two trustees within the church control all the community's organisational and personal finances, Mr Glossop said.
Former church member Barney Jones, who left the community in 2000, urged a thorough financial investigation, alleging the church's charitable, not-for-profit and religious statuses were leveraged to avoid paying several taxes.
In her evidence, founding student Helen Johnstone recalled haircuts were banned, clothing was monitored and access to pop culture was restricted after her family joined the community in 1976.
She said community members were subjected to shame and public humiliation, including her older sister being pulled around on a dog lead and held underwater at a youth swimming event
The committee questioned Nicholas Backo, executive to the Department of Communities and Justice, on their interest in investigating the school.
State Labor MP Anthony D'Adam put to him allegations about "unusual" living arrangements for children at the school, suggesting it was "odd" the department did not have a case into the school.
Mr Backo said some of the evidence presented a "concern".
"In terms of the evidence that you've heard and the recent kind of publicly available information, it absolutely requires further consideration about whether (there is an investigation)," he said.
The school operates under the same leadership as the Redeemer Baptist Church, a community of about 200 members who live, study and work on the Parramatta North school grounds.
The inquiry into the school was established following allegations raised in a 60 Minutes and Nine newspapers media investigation.
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