Turnbull says actions of diggers who flew Nazi flag over Army vehicle 'completely unacceptable'
Posted | Updated
The ABC has obtained a photo of Australian soldiers flying a Nazi flag from an Army vehicle while on operations in Afghanistan. The ADF has called the incident "abhorrent" and the PM says it is "absolutely wrong".
Topics: world-war-2, world-war-1, unrest-conflict-and-war, veterans, defence-industry, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, security-intelligence, government-and-politics, army, afghanistan, australia
'He was dead and there was a gun laying with him' (photos)
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Three villagers ended up dead after a team of Australian soldiers descended on a small Afghan community. What happened that day is now the subject of a secretive high-level inquiry.
Topics: defence-industry, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, army, afghanistan, australia
Culture of 'illegal violence' and drug abuse alleged in leaked Defence report
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A leaked report has exposed claims of systemic cultural problems in the Australian defence forces, including drug and alcohol abuse.
Topics: defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, army, unrest-conflict-and-war, law-crime-and-justice, australia
Australian officer allegedly traded US secrets for escorts and lavish dinners
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The senior Australian Navy liaison officer allegedly shared US naval secrets in exchange for lavish dinners at five-star hotels and time with prostitutes in a scam prosecutors say was organised by a contractor nicknamed 'Fat Leonard'.
Topics: navy, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, corruption, law-crime-and-justice, fraud-and-corporate-crime, bribery, security-intelligence, government-and-politics, australia, united-states, singapore, malaysia, hong-kong, philippines, canberra-2600
Salvos stripped of contract to care for vulnerable kids
Posted
The Salvation Army loses its funding to care for vulnerable children in parts of Victoria because of concerns over the quality of care they are providing.
Topics: children, child-health-and-behaviour, child-abuse, salvation-army, melbourne-3000, vic
Law firm taken over by authorities after bikie 'money laundering' raids
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South Melbourne firm Stanton Grant Legal is seized from its partners and placed in the hands of a manager chosen by the legal regulator after being raided by the Victoria Police anti-bikie taskforce.
Topics: judges-and-legal-profession, law-crime-and-justice, south-melbourne-3205, braeside-3195
'Forensic accountant' believed targeted in bikie raid linked previously to corruption, tax evasion
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One of the people believed to be targeted in police raids on businesses linked to alleged money-laundering by the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang is a self-described 'forensic accountant' who was leaked information by a corrupt VicRoads employee.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, melbourne-3000, vic
FBI arrests CEO over encrypted phones linked to Australian bikie murders
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The boss of a company that supplied encrypted phones suspected of being used to plan at least two murders in Australia is arrested in the United States, after a joint operation between law enforcement agencies in the US, Australia and other countries.
Topics: crime, law-crime-and-justice, mobile-phones, information-and-communication, murder-and-manslaughter, australia, united-states
Former VicRoads worker illegally supplied information from agency's database
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A former VicRoads employee pleads guilty to four charges after illegally supplying personal information from the agency's database to friends of his father and a lawyer now in prison for fraud.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, information-technology, melbourne-3000, vic, hampton-3188
Peter Dupas charged with cold case murder of 95yo woman at nursing home
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The 1997 stabbing death of Kathleen Downes — who was "considered the matriarch" of the Melbourne nursing home — had led police to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, murder-and-manslaughter, brunswick-3056, melbourne-3000
'We paid $35,000 and got nothing': Migration business investigated for alleged visa rip-off
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A businessman with contacts on both sides of Australian politics is under investigation for allegedly charging would-be migrants tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for skilled working visas they never received.
Topics: consumer-protection, immigration, regulation, fraud-and-corporate-crime, melbourne-3000
Firm accused of helping businesses dodge creditors goes into liquidation (photos)
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There are concerns Melbourne-based company SMEs R Us, which is accused of helping company directors hide cash and assets from the tax office, will never be properly investigated after it was placed into liquidation.
Topics: corporate-governance, small-business, business-economics-and-finance, regulation, law-crime-and-justice, fraud-and-corporate-crime, melbourne-3000, sydney-2000, adelaide-5000, brisbane-4000, perth-6000, australia
VicRoads worker charged by anti-corruption commission over alleged data breaches
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A VicRoads employee is charged by the state's anti-corruption watchdog with improperly accessing and modifying the private details of Victorian drivers.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, melbourne-3000, vic
Director of builder that went bust fails to provide records because of 'mental conditions'
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The director of a building company that collapsed owing $20 million fails to provide records to the firm's liquidator, claiming he cannot cooperate because of "mental conditions".
Topics: building-and-construction, law-crime-and-justice, melbourne-3000, vic
$100k of traffic fines struck out after involvement of 'tax evasion mastermind'
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A Melbourne businessman has tens of thousands of dollars of traffic fines waived after convincing authorities he was the victim of alleged tax evasion mastermind Philip Whiteman (pictured).
Topics: tax, government-and-politics, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, melbourne-3000
It's not 'un-Australian' to investigate the actions of special forces in Afghanistan Analysis
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Australia's most decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has said scrutiny of SAS actions in Afghanistan is "un-Australian", but it's not a view shared by all soldiers, writes Dan Oakes.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, army, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, afghanistan, australia
'Captain' of childcare centre spent $300,000 of charity's money on alcohol and lingerie
Posted
A Melbourne pensioner and Order of Australia recipient who used hundreds of thousands of dollars from a charity he helped set up to buy alcohol, lingerie and cigarettes is ordered by a court to repay more than $1 million.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, lalor-3075, preston-3072, melbourne-3000, vic
Melbourne offices of alleged tax-evasion mastermind raided by ATO
Posted
Investigators from the Australian Tax Office raid the Melbourne offices of an alleged mastermind of a massive tax evasion scheme following a tip off from the ABC.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, tax, fraud-and-corporate-crime, windsor-3181, melbourne-3000, vic
Couple face 'losing everything' after falling victim to tax-evasion scam
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An elderly Queensland couple who could lose their home and business after falling victim to the alleged mastermind of a massive tax-evasion scheme say their plight is "soul destroying" and "devastating".
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, fraud-and-corporate-crime, brisbane-4000, australia, vic
A baby grand piano and two pet dogs could cost a former migration lawyer millions
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Florin Burhala's companies received millions from the Government, but the ATO says he owes more than $4.5 million in unpaid taxes and fines. Now, it's seeking an order forcing him to turn over a substantial Romanian property portfolio to Australian authorities.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, tax, government-and-politics, courts-and-trials, melbourne-3000, australia, romania
SAS soldier cleared of war crimes after cutting the hands off dead enemies
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An Australian SAS soldier who cut the hands off two dead suspected Taliban fighters so they could be identified via fingerprints is cleared of war crimes by a Federal Police investigation.
Topics: defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, army, unrest-conflict-and-war, australia, afghanistan
New laws to target dodgy company directors and 'phoenixing'
Posted
Directors of Australian companies will be given a unique ID number in a bid to crack down on "phoenixing", where companies are stripped of assets and liquidated, then restarted under a different name, leaving creditors out of pocket.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, federal-government, government-and-politics, regulation, australia
Inquiry calls for witnesses to alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
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A secretive Defence inquiry established to investigate the conduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan makes a rare public appeal for information.
Topics: defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, unrest-conflict-and-war, australia
Alleged mastermind behind tax-evasion scheme ordered to pay $8.5m
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A Melbourne man alleged to have masterminded a massive tax-evasion scheme is hit with a personal tax bill of $8.5 million, despite claiming his only asset is an old Ford Falcon.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, melbourne-3000, vic
Families want royal commission into DVA after suicides
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More than 100 people rally outside the Department of Veterans' Affairs in Melbourne to call for a royal commission into the department, in response to the rising tide of veterans committing suicide.
Topics: defence-forces, suicide, community-and-society, melbourne-3000, australia
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