Last Top Stories: Royal commission hears of 10 Ballarat victim suicides in last year

Royal commission hears of 10 Ballarat victim suicides in last year

Ballarat is a very Catholic town and the Catholic community is very closed. Coming forward and talking publicly about child sex abuse in Catholic institutions not only has repercussions at the family level, but also at the business and social level in ... >> view original

Christian Brothers paid $3 million to Ballarat victims

THE Christian Brothers have paid Ballarat victims nearly $3 million, Oceania Province leader Brother Peter Clinch told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Friday. Br Clinch said the average payment was $70,000, ... >> view original

Ballarat cop complaints triple the average

SENIOR police had concerns about a high number of excessive force complaints involving officers in Ballarat going back to 2010, court documents reveal. FOUR incidents are to be investigated by the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission ... >> view original

Ballarat sex abuse 'worst in nation's history'

Some of Australia's most notorious abusers, including Gerald Ridsdale, Robert Best and Edward Dowlan, were part of a paedophile ring operating in and around Ballarat during the 1960 and 70s. Other regional towns were reportedly affected as well, with ... >> view original

Payouts by Christian Brothers in Ballarat

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS SETTLEMENTS WITH BALLARAT ABUSE VICTIMS. * Financial settlements with 42 victims. * $3.872 million paid out, average $92,000. * Initial payout total $2.958 million, average payout $70,000. * So far 11 claims re-examined with ... >> view original

French Open: Five questions on the stars

This year's second major, the French Open, starts on Sunday night, Australian time, and there are a number of questions waiting to be answered during the next fortnight. Fairfax tennis writer Linda Pearce looks at five of these issues. 1. Can Rafael Nadal ... >> view original

How the Port Adelaide Football Club brought the Cornes brothers together

CHAD Cornes can't even remember what the stink was about. To this day, can't recall exactly what triggered it. “But Kane definitely copped it, that's for sure,” Cornes says. “It was over nothing, really. He might've borrowed a T-shirt or something stupid like that. >> view original

West Coast beats St Kilda by 53 points at Docklands, to close in on league ...

West Coast Eagles have won their fifth match in a row, defeating St Kilda by 53 points at Docklands to pull within a game of league leaders Fremantle. SCOREBOARD: STK v WCE. 12.6 (78). St Kilda v. West Coast. 20.11 (131). at Docklands, May 23 2015. >> view original

State of Origin I: Blues reserved and professional in Coffs Harbour camp

Late-night bonding sessions for the New South Wales State of Origin team exist only in Blues folklore. It's pretty professional, I've never experienced anything like this before. Boyd Cordner. The Laurie Daley-coached squad continues to take a professional ... >> view original

Crucial clash for Waratahs and Crusaders

The NSW Waratahs are wary of a vengeful and surging Crusaders side heading into tonight's crucial Super Rugby clash. Down in ninth, the Crusaders are five points behind the sixth-placed Waratahs, but are renowned for their late season surges - they ... >> view original