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Australia’s military rocked by new scandals
The Australian military has been rocked by more sex scandals, including allegations of assault, child porn, rape and drug-dealing within its ranks.
Australian defence minister Stephen Smith
Documents obtained by Australia's Channel Seven News under the Freedom of Information Act detail what it called "ongoing, often major, breaches of discipline in Australia's armed forces".
It said more than 100 incidents had been reported in the past year, from weapons mishaps to sexual assault, especially in the Navy where allegations of misconduct on four warships are being investigated.
Among them, alleged sexual assaults on HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Diamantina have been passed to police.
The documents, referred to as the "Hot Issues Brief", say a senior officer on the HMAS Success was reported to police for video-taping sexual encounters he had with junior sailors.
Seven months earlier, a female sailor aboard the same vessel claimed she had been indecently assaulted during a port visit to Singapore by a male shipmate.
On HMAS Toowoomba, a female sailor complained of indecent assault, bullying, and harassment, including a so-called "Beer Bounty" being placed on her: free beer for the first sailor to have sex with the woman.
Seven News said the documents also contained "a handful of child porn charges, drug dealing, and rape allegations".
Other media reported they included a soldier charged with rape and stalking, while a corporal was found dead ahead of a scheduled court appearance on child exploitation charges.
