Australia news live: volcano erupts in Java; Sussan Ley to outline defence priorities | Australia news
Volcano erupted in Java
Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Indonesia’s Java island, erupted yesterday, showering many villages with ash, prompting evacuations and prompting authorities to raise the alert to the highest level, the Associated Press reported.
Mount Semeru in East Java province released scorching hot clouds of ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that descended up to 7 km from its slopes several times between noon and dusk, and a thick column of hot clouds rose 2 km into the air, the Indonesian Geological Agency said.
Eruptions throughout the day forced authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said.
No casualties were reported. More than 300 residents of the three most at-risk villages in the Lumajang district were evacuated to government shelters, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.
Video shows ashes being swept away in valleys.
Local media reported that authorities were struggling to rescue approximately 178 people trapped on the 3,676-meter mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo observation point. According to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park (TNBTS) official, the group includes 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven guides and six tourism officials.
“They are currently safe at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring point,” TNBTS Spokesperson Endrip Wahyutama said in the video statement, adding that the observation point is located 4.5 km away from the crater on the northern slope of the mountain, which is not in the path of the hot cloud flow observed moving towards the south-southeast. He said bad weather and rain forced them to spend the night there.
Semeru has a history of eruptions, with the last major eruption occurring in December 2021.
important events
Anne Davies
‘Boring gets the job done,’ says Mark Speakman
In a video posted on Facebook in the past 24 hours, Speakman addressed criticism of his low profile in the background and added that “loyalty, hard work and serving people” were hallmarks of his leadership.
He said:
I don’t believe in showing off. I believe it will emerge. That’s why I’m not a show pony. I guess that means I’m a bit boring to some people. Do you know? Gets the boring job done!
Speakman has not briefed the press for a week and declined to comment on his future as leader on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Sloane attended the state funeral of radio personality John Laws at St Andrew’s Cathedral and was photographed sitting behind former prime minister John Howard and former prime minister Nick Greiner.
Shadow attorney general Alister Henskens has also expressed interest in taking the top job, but as a member of the smaller right-wing group, he doesn’t have the numbers, especially since some prominent right-wing figures back Sloane.
James Griffin, the other MP who has been mentioned as a leadership candidate, appears to have thrown his weight behind Sloane. It will likely play a major role in how events unfold over the next few days.
“We really want this to be as clean and painless as possible. That’s why it needs to happen within the next 48 hours,” one MP said.
Speculation continues over NSW leadership spillover
Anne Davies
The NSW Liberals appear to be inching towards a leadership spill, but no parliamentarians have yet called a caucus and are pursuing the current leader. Mark SpeakmanHe looks like he’s digging.
Leading senior members of Speakman’s own moderate group, as well as some senior right-wing figures, said yesterday that Speakman’s term had expired and that the numbers were about as tall. Kellie SloaneMember for Vaucluse.
The former journalist has proven to be a strong communicator and has demonstrated his ability to irritate the prime minister as health spokesman. Chris Minns.
Although Sloane has made it clear that she wants the top job, she is said to not want to challenge Speakman, meaning one of her colleagues will have to approach her.
Sources said the need for change was now seen as urgent because in current polls the Liberals could lose up to 10 seats, with most of those seats held by moderates who are currently the dominant group in NSW.
A rout of the magnitude implied by current polls would seriously weaken the faction.
From a practical standpoint, senior moderates are likely to present a letter to Speakman, signed by 11 MPs, calling for a meeting. The convention states that if one-third of the party hall wants a meeting, it will be called.
But as his colleagues had hoped, Speakman still resists falling on his sword.
Krishani Dhanji
Continuing from the last article:
Ley will also focus on Australia’s role in resolving tensions in our region, but warns Australia will have to “credibly deter others from the use of force” by increasing Australia’s military strength and honoring commitments it has made to defend its friends and allies.
More broadly, Ley will say Australia should use its “cultural soft power, economic power and diplomatic prowess” to resolve disputes peacefully and foster international dialogue.
But it will also be a veiled slap in the face to China:
Australia must publicly state its view that the fulfillment of one nation’s destiny cannot be achieved through the destruction of another.
Australia must be able to credibly deter others from using force. We must make the cost of using aggression too high to bear. We do this by increasing our military power and increasing our commitments to defend our friends and allies.
Ley will also say the Coalition will seek to boost national pride so “more Australians will believe our nation is worth defending”.
Ley to outline Coalition’s defense priorities
Krishani Dhanji
liberal leader, Susan LeyHe will set out his priorities on defense preparedness and energy security in his speech at the Menzies Institute this evening.
Following a media blitz accelerating the Coalition’s entrenched energy policy to eliminate net zero, and as her party sets its policy priorities on immigration, Ley will outline several defense capability gaps in which Australia should invest.
Ley will say Australia must have an integrated air and missile defense system, the ability to build, deploy and resupply unmanned and autonomous weapons systems, and develop a greater sovereign capability for satellite connectivity.
If we do not strengthen our defense power, improve our intelligence capabilities and engage in difficult negotiations, we cannot shape our region and the world according to our own interests.
Ley will say fuel and energy security are among the most important parts of Australia’s preparedness for a conflict or crisis.
He will argue that Australia was not prepared for a cyber-attack on its energy grid and that Australia “weakened rather than strengthened its energy sovereignty”, linking this to the Coalition’s energy policy of expanding domestic gas supplies.
Volcano erupted in Java
Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Indonesia’s Java island, erupted yesterday, showering many villages with ash, prompting evacuations and prompting authorities to raise the alert to the highest level, the Associated Press reported.
Mount Semeru in East Java province released scorching hot clouds of ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that descended up to 7 km from its slopes several times between noon and dusk, and a thick column of hot clouds rose 2 km into the air, the Indonesian Geological Agency said.
Eruptions throughout the day forced authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said.
No casualties were reported. More than 300 residents of the three most at-risk villages in the Lumajang district were evacuated to government shelters, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.
Video shows ashes being swept away in valleys.
Local media reported that authorities were struggling to rescue approximately 178 people trapped on the 3,676-meter mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo observation point. According to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park (TNBTS) official, the group includes 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven guides and six tourism officials.
“They are currently safe at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring point,” TNBTS Spokesperson Endrip Wahyutama said in the video statement, adding that the observation point is located 4.5 km away from the crater on the northern slope of the mountain, which is not in the path of the hot cloud flow observed moving towards the south-southeast. He said bad weather and rain forced them to spend the night there.
Semeru has a history of eruptions, with the last major eruption occurring in December 2021.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I Martin Farrer with the best night stories and then Nick Visser will take the reins.
Tropical Cyclone Fina intensified to a category two storm last night and is expected to turn south on Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The storm will cause winds of up to 130 km per hour, as well as heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding in coastal areas between the Tiwi Islands and Milingimbi Starting from Friday. Landfall is expected late Friday or early Saturday. A full update is coming.
A massive volcanic eruption occurred on the Indonesian island of Java. We will bring you news of any impact on flights.
Spending much of his time figuring out energy policy and talking about immigration, Susan Ley In a speech at the Menzies Institute this evening, he will outline how Australia will reform defense preparedness and energy security. More is coming.
