Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said compensation might have to be paid to victims of bullying and sexual abuse in the country's military.
The defence minister has set up a string of inquiries into the issue.
He says some of the claims against his department date back to the Vietnam War.
The country's military has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent months raising concerns about a culture of sexism, homophobia and bullying.
One such incident involved a page set up on Facebook vilifying allegedly gay members of the defences forces.
'Phenomenal costs'
Another which emerged earlier this month, known as the Skype scandal, involved a female cadet at the defence academy in Canberra.
The 18-year-old had consensual sex with a fellow cadet, which was secretly filmed and broadcast via webcam to a group of men in another room.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13109078
Note: 17 April 2011 Last updated at 11:17 GMT