Last Top Stories: Memories of abuse at St Joseph's Orphanage, Ballarat still haunt Gordon Hill at 72

Memories of abuse at St Joseph's Orphanage, Ballarat still haunt Gordon Hill at 72

Though he moved to Western Australia to get as far as possible from St Joseph's Orphanage in Ballarat, Victoria, "It doesn't matter how far you go, you always take your memories with you", he testified to the royal commission on Wednesday. Back then ... >> view original

Sex abuse stories from royal commission in Ballarat all too familiar for some

The stories being heard in Ballarat are gruesome and humiliating and raw, and have been described by one victim as "the unseen carnage." But that characterisation is not true for everyone – and certainly not for the front-line workers who deal with ... >> view original

George Pell faces questions on Ballarat abuse claims

Cardinal Pell, who has steadfastly denied knowledge of systemic sex abuse in the Ballarat diocese, also denied claims he was told directly of wrongdoing in the diocese but did nothing to intervene. He has previously denied this claim by abuse survivor ... >> view original

Ballarat funding unclear and unaccountable, says Matthew Guy

THE funding for some of Ballarat's major projects is unclear and unaccountable according to Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, who has slammed the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund as a way to avoid committing appropriately to each election ... >> view original

12 pupils in Ballarat Catholic school photo took their own lives after abuse

It should be a photograph filled with happy childhood memories, but instead it tells the tragedy of a community torn apart by horrific child abuse. The picture shows the 1973 Grade 4 class of St Alipius' Christian Brothers School in Ballarat. In the ... >> view original

Russia: International Safety and Security expo 2015 kicks off in Moscow1:20

It's a graphic example of the suicide problem Ballarat has grappled with since the sexual abuse of what is feared to have been hundreds of schoolboys. The exact number of victims isn't known. There is no concrete evidence to link the suicides to sexual ... >> view original

New record efficiency for black silicon solar cells

Researchers at the University of Aalto, Finland have broken the efficiency record for black silicon solar cells – a type of cell that can gather sunlight even from tight angles – by almost four percent. Black silicon can be manufactured simply by adding a dense ... >> view original

Researchers Finally Answer The Age-Old Nature Vs. Nurture Question

The age-old nature versus nurture question has spewed countless debates throughout history. But now, Australian researchers say they have the answer and, well, it's a draw, folks. Based on a study published in Nature Genetics, human traits are determined ... >> view original

Scientists Claim To Have Found Reason Why Males Exist

New research reveals that the male population helps maintain long-term evolutionary fitness of a species. Reuters. A team of researchers seems to have found the answer to the age-old question: Why do males exist? According to a recently published study, ... >> view original

QLD Senator takes on Greenpeace over false advertising

GREENPEACE is under fire from Senator Matt Canavan after it was allegedly caught substituting a photograph of a typhoon-damaged reef in the Philippines in an advertisement about the Great Barrier Reef. Mr Canavan, a Rockhampton-based senator, said ... >> view original