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EXCLUSIVE: Skynet sex scandal at ADFA

A 7News Investigation has uncovered the biggest sex scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy, eclipsing the Skype scandal in 2011, and the Jedi Council email sex ring in 2013.


Up to 900 cadets may have been involved, stretching over five years.

It was called Skynet - a file sharing network operated secretly by cadets at ADFA.

“Copyrighted movies, copyrighted books, pictures, pornography. Basically anything and everything that people illegally download was available on Skynet,” abuse victim Richard Matthews said.

Richard Matthews has been awarded the Defence Medal, an apology and compensation for the abuse he suffered while a cadet.

“I couldn't deal with it at the time, I still can't deal with it now,” Matthews said.

He was left traumatised by what he saw on Skynet.

Matthews attended the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in 2007. Almost immediately he was introduced by another cadet to the internal computer network.

Richard Matthews was left traumatised by what he saw on Skynet.
Richard Matthews was left traumatised by what he saw on Skynet.

They called it Skynet, because, like the machine network in the Terminator movies, it could not be shut down.

“So typically what would happen is it would be a sick competition of who could find the grossest porn on Skynet,” Matthews said.

Cadets passed around a USB stick with the Skynet software and everyone was expected to ‘join in’.

"No one said it, it was just implied. It was one of those things, that if you didn't install it on your computer then people would make life difficult for you,” Matthews said.

Matthews claims he was forced to watch graphic pornography, including bestiality, on Skynet.

He was also subjected to bullying and threats form one particular cadet, to the point where he feared for his life.

“Skynet was, as I understand, was a network that the cadets ran internally on the backbone provided by the University of New South Wales, and on it they used it as a repository for what at the time were illegally... downloaded videos, movies,” Captain (Ret) Peter Murray said.

Captain (Ret) Peter Murray tried unsuccessfully to shut down Skynet.
Captain (Ret) Peter Murray tried unsuccessfully to shut down Skynet.

He was the Acting Commandant in charge at ADFA in 2007. He became aware cadets were sharing a software program that connected all their computers on the official Defence intranet.

Captain (Ret) Peter Murray tried unsuccessfully to shutdown Skynet. He was shocked to learn cadets were using it to bully and abuse their fellow cadets by forcing them to share and watch graphic pornography.

“The young future leaders of the defence force just shouldn't be doing that sort of thing.” Captain Murray said.

Defence initially told 7News that no one had raised Skynet with ADFA leadership in 2007, but Captain Murray said he reported Skynet verbally to his superior at the Defence College.

“I talked to the Commandant of the Australian Defence College and then I took notes for my own diary,” Captain Murray said.

Skynet also featured illegally downloaded movies, assignments and essays to cheat from and a chat room. Captain Murray was stunned into action.

Like the computer network in the Terminator movies, ‘Skynet” could not be shut down.
Like the computer network in the Terminator movies, ‘Skynet” could not be shut down.

“It would have been terrible press. The cadets would have been ruined. Certainly the reputation of ADFA would have been dragged down enormously,” Captain Murray said.

He called the third-year cadet ‘in charge’ of Skynet to his office.

"He removed his involvement from it and took the network down.

“Certainly we took steps to take Skynet down, and we continued to monitor it. Whether our monitoring was sufficient is something you're bringing into question,” Captain Murray said.

But, huge amounts of pornography continued to spread through ADFA.

Like the computer network in the Terminator movies, Skynet could not be shut down.

For years, Defence has denied that Skynet even existed.

“I have no idea they would be foolish to do that, because it did exist. Certainly in my time it was there we became aware of it as I said, and we took steps to take it down,” Captain Murray said.

Skynet is the biggest sex scandal yet to emerge from ADFA.
Skynet is the biggest sex scandal yet to emerge from ADFA.

Two female Cadets were charged after posting pictures of themselves in lingerie on Skynet.

Defence confirmed that in 2009, material from Skynet was referred to the Federal Police and Defence's own Investigative Service. They found the pornography, while inappropriate, was not illegal. The matter went back to the leadership here at ADFA and they took action.

They told 7News there were no official records of Skynet, until 2009, when the new commandant tried again to shut it down.

Yet, after we interviewed Captain Murray, the Australian Defence Force changed their story, saying: "In 2007, Defence now understands that the Acting Commandant spoke to two ADFA cadets who were operating an unauthorised file sharing system on the UNSW Canberra network."

Skynet is the biggest sex scandal yet to emerge from ADFA.

Several Inquiries have detailed physical and sexual abuse and bullying at ADFA. Now it's clear how that toxic culture persisted, even on their own computer network.

Richard Matthews suffers with Post Traumatic Stress from the threats and abuse he received.

“I can't sleep at night. I can't sleep at night alone without fear that someone isn't going to break in,” Matthews said.

Richard Matthews believes Skynet is evidence of the need for a Royal Commission into abuse in Defence.

“I think it would be appropriate for that to come up,” Captain Murray said.

ADFA says it overhauled its intranet in early 2013, so that Skynet can no longer operate.

“Look they've got my deepest sympathies and apologies, for not, I guess not being more thorough in taking the network down. I thought that we had it down,” Captain Murray said.