Frances Samson

To date, there are 2,140 abuse complaints being investigated by the taskforce of the Australian Defence Force, some of these are fresh allegations implicating two Defence institutions, the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Navy's HMAS Leeuwin training base. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said they are now discovering that abuse in the ADF is actually more rampant and rooted than they thought.

On Thursday, ANZ spokesperson Stephen Ries denied earlier reports that the company is closing its Mulgrave call centre in Melbourne and transferring jobs to New Zealand and The Philippines. "We're not going to speculate what's going to happen in the future," he said. He assured Australian customers that ANZ's call centre headquarters would remain in Melbourne.

Amid the gender wars between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Liberal "men in blue ties", certified alpha male Russell Crowe made it known which side of the fence he's in as he expressed support for the often criticised but equally hard-hitting lady leader on social media.

Efforts to improve and expand Brisbane Airport are right on track. Today. Virgin Australia becomes the first airline to pledge support for the airport's development project by signing a 10-year deal with Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Roger Stapleford, 56, suffered a humiliating verbal and physical abuse in the hands of two teen girls aboard a Melbourne train this week. The girls hurled expletives at him and threw a 50ml can that wounded his forehead with a 5cm gash, all because he asked one of them to remove her feet from a chair so he could sit his tired knees.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has come under fire with his recent comment that legalising same sex marriage would only lead to calls for the legalisation of polygamous marriages as well.

Bigger market opportunities are going to open for Victorian producers as a new trade agreement takes full effect between Australia and Malaysia. The agreement stands to benefit particularly the dairy sector, as well as other non-food related industries.

On, Tuesday, the federal opposition has asked to a parliamentary review on the proposed reforms to the controversial 457 visa scheme. The changes are scheduled for deliberation in the parliament's lower house later in the day,

More protest actions continue to build up at Perth Airport as security screeners pursue their demand for better wages. Workers are complaining that their wages are lower compared with their interstate counterparts, and are demanding for an increase of 12 percent in basic pay spread over the next three years.

Charlie Sheen is furious at Anger Management co-star Selma Blair for complaining about him to show executives. According to sources, he is telling people that he had fired her, and wants to get Mila Kunis instead.

At least one humdred Victorian jobs are expected to be generated as the Malaysia-based global Tune Hotels opens its new 225-room hotel and operational headquarters in Melbourne in November.

The Kardashian women are happy and excited over the coming of the newest addition to the family, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's newborn baby girl. On Twitter they posted sweet messages to welcome the presence of Kimye's baby in their lives. The newborn is said to be a mini me of Kim, "She looks just like Kim," one source said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being accused of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft of pocketing the team's Super Bowl ring. The Russian leader, however, denied the allegation on Saturday. Mr. Kraft says he was only pressured by the White House to claim that the ring was given as a gift to the Russian leader to avoid straining US relationship with Russia.

China's increasing display of aggression in its bid to strengthen territorial claims in the Asia-Pacific region has reached the halls of the U.S. Senate. On Monday, a resolution was filed by some US senators condemning acts of aggression particularly committed by China. The resolution seeks to find an amicable resolution to the territorial disputes in the region.

Loud mouth Charlie Sheen is furious at Teen Mom porn star Farrah Abraham for leaking their supposed text conversation on a possible date. He writes her an epic riddance letter in which, among other things, he called her a "desperate guzzler of stagnant douche."

The Philippine National Security Council appealed for additional defence funding on Thursday as 18 Chinese maritime vessels were reported intruding Philippine territory.

The Immigration Amendment Bill has passed its third reading in the parliament legalising the mass detention of asylum seekers reaching the shores of New Zealand. Covered by the law are those arriving in groups of at least 30 people, and they will be issued a single warrant for six months detention.

At least 17 soldiers male army soldiers are being directly implicated in the latest internet sex scandal to rock the Australian Defence Force. Three have been served outright suspension, actions are underway to suspend five more, nine are facing possible disciplinary action and about 90 soldiers in the "periphery" of the act are being investigated.

The latest international trailer of "The Wolverine" sheds light on the true motives of Yashida and reveals the role of Viper in the story. Yashida is dying and wants to get Logan's healing abilities. He turns to Viper to do the job for him. "The Wolverine" opens in theaters on July 26.

The successor to the Android-based Galaxy Camera is set to be launched during the Samsung Premier press gathering slated on June 20. It is expected that the second version of the smart camera will offer the users the flexibility of interchangeable lens system.

With the signing of Tim Tebow with the New England Patriots, he joins another superstar hunk in the team, fellow quarterback Tom Brady. Both are buff, gorgeous and celebrity material both on and off the field. For Pats fans, who's hotter between the two?

The life of one of the most adored members of the British royal family comes to the big screen via the biopic Diana, starring Hollywood actress Naomi Watts. The new trailer shows the initial product of Watts' labour, copying the princess' most iconic looks as well as imbibing the warmth that brought Diana the title "Princess of Hearts."

People are still speculating if there's more than friendship between singer Katy Perry and actor Robert Pattinson. But with news of more sightings together, sleep overs and a planned trip to Bahamas, will it be a surprise if something develops between them?

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg faced a group of angered shareholders at the just concluded first Facebook stockholder's meet. Shareholders are agitated over the steady decline of Facebook's stock price since it debuted in the stock market last year.

A naked man ran amok at the San Francisco Subway assaulting commuters, scaring them off, picking fights, and in between, showing off some gymnastics stunts.

Geelong suffers another blow as Target announces 260 job cuts in the region. The Target decision follows Ford's earlier announcement of business shut down in Australia, resulting to hundreds of displaced Geelong workers. Also, 450 workers in the region are facing uncertain future as Shell Refinery is said to be planning to sell by next year.

Volkswagen Australia announced on Tuesday night that it is recalling almost 26,000 of its units across the Golf, Jetta, Polo, Passat and Caddy models manufactured between January 2008 and September 2011. The recall is being enforced following customers' uproar on safety issues involving the vehicles' DSG transmission.

South Australia recorded the highest growth in the number of housing loans for the month of April. Overall, the country enjoyed a slightly adjusted increase of 0.8 percent compared to March.

West Australian Newspapers, the company publishes the West Australian, Community Newspaper group and 21 other titles, is cutting 110 jobs by the end of this month. This was announced by company chief executive Chris Wharton to the staff today.