AUSTRALIA'S Government and defence force commander have apologised to hundreds of victims of abuse within the military, clearing the way for victims to receive compensation.
In an address to parliament yesterday, Defence Minister Stephen Smith acknowledged that soldiers, sailors and air force personnel had suffered abuse, often by superiors under the excuse of toughening up recruits, since the 1950s.
An independent report earlier this year found 775 plausible allegations of sexual, physical and mental abuse within the armed forces since 1951.
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