Posted by Leongatha quake felt in Melbourne
According to Geoscience Australia, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit Leongatha in Victoria, 135km south-east of Melbourne, at 00.49am. The epicentre was 8km deep.
There were more than 4000 “felt reports”, many of them in the city of Melbourne, concentrated on its south-eastern suburbs closest to the epicentre.
But there have been no early reports of damage as at the time of writing – 4.3 is not big in the scheme of things, there are about 10,000 quakes of about this magnitude in the world every year.
One of the unique features of this one was its location – because the city’s namesake on the other side of the world had also just felt a quake.
According to the US Geological Survey, there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake, at a depth of 10km, just off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, in the US about 10 hours earlier.
As you can imagine, much hilarity and some confusion ensued on social media.
This is bizzare. I am in Melbourne, Australia, and we also just felt an earthquake, 4.6 magnitude. Map below. Don’t be confused therefore if you get Australians responding to this also!https://t.co/FZbLWa22Sh
— 🎶 The MuSinGer 🦋 (@TheMuSinger) February 8, 2024
Key events
Police have charged a man after allegedly shining a laser at police aircraft.
A statement from Victorian police says a police Air Wing helicopter was flying above the Hazelwood North area about 9pm when a laser was allegedly shone at the aircraft several times on 7 February.
Air Wing officers directed police on the ground to an address on Church Road in Hazelwood North shortly after.
Officers located a laser and arrested a 33-year-old Hazelwood North man at the premises.
He was interviewed and is expected to be charged on summons with interfere with a crew member in an aircraft, reckless conduct endanger life and possess a prohibited weapon.
Melburnians have reported being woken up from the 4.3 magnitude earthquake, which hit Leongatha at 00.49am.
The epicentre was 8km deep.
One person wrote on X their bedroom door was “rattling”.
Thought it was my cat trying to beat it down as she always does when wanting to come in to sleep. But nope, she was asleep in the lounge.
Yeah, my bedroom door was rattling. Thought it was my cat trying to beat it down as she always does when wanting to come in to sleep. But nope, she was asleep in the lounge.
— NickVeit-Williams (@N_Williams9000) February 8, 2024
Someone in Burwood said all their furniture “shook and rattle[d]”, while others reported their windows shaking.
yep Burwood all furniture shook and rattle
— Ally (@swingbubble65) February 8, 2024
Yes I did it my window was shaking.
— Kurtis Sofo (@kurtis_sofo) February 8, 2024
Blame the possums: Melburnians report waking up, but not knowing why
Circling back to the earthquake near Melbourne, where people across the city have reported waking up in the early hours of the morning and not knowing why.
A caller to 3AW radio, Sarah, thought there was was a possum on her roof:
It woke me up and my husband said, ‘What’s that?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, I think there’s a possum on the roof … or a bird.’
I banged on the wall and it stopped so I thought, it’s just a possum.
3AW host Ross Stevenson said he had woken up at 12.45am and had no idea why.
Another caller, Angela, woke up and said it sounded as though something fluffy landed on her roof – a “soft” but big thud.
There have now been 4,718 “felt reports”, according to Geoscience Australia.
Tamsin Rose
‘Progress is being made’ in rebuilding Lismore
The development was welcomed by the Lismore mayor, Steve Krieg, who said it was an important social and economic boost for the regional centre:
We can now provide tangible, viable housing opportunities for our residents to be able to relocate from the floodplain and stay in the city that we all work and live in.
Two years on from the disaster that had such a profound impact on our lives, we can now genuinely feel that progress is being made in the recovery and rebuild of Lismore.
The government estimates land and homes will be ready to be sold by 2026.
Tamsin Rose
Deal struck to build more than 400 homes in Lismore
More than 400 homes will built on land in Lismore over the next two years in a deal between the New South Wales reconstruction authority, Southern Cross University and the state-owned property developer Landcom.
The deal is the first of its kind struck as part of the government’s $100m strategy to tackle the region’s housing crisis two years after it was devastated by floods.
The premier, Chris Minns, said:
This is something the Northern Rivers community has been waiting for and today is an important step in their recovery. We look forward to working with them to create a new place for people to call home. There is a lot more that we need to do but this is an important step in the community’s recovery process.
The 72 hectares of land at the university, which sits above the “probable maximum flood level”, will be developed into more than 400 homes including at least 20% for affordable housing.
Several blocks will also be developed for homes able to be relocated from flood-affected areas.
Defence to announce next phase of ‘Ghost Bat’ combat aircraft
Defence industry minister Pat Conroy is expected to announce a significant further investment today into the next-generation collaborative combat aircraft, also known as the Ghost Bat.
It is being developed by Boeing Defence Australia under contract from the Australian government with an investment so far of $600m.
Eight planes have been produced and have been undergoing testing. The next phase will see more advanced capabilities added to them and take them a step closer to operational capability.
It is the first military combat aircraft to be designed, developed and manufactured in Australia for more than 50 years.
The Albanese government sees this as underscoring its commitment to backing the innovation and expertise of Australia’s defence industry. More than 55 Australian companies are contributing to the Ghost Bat program, with more than 70% of program expenditure going to Australian industry. The project is supporting hundreds of highly skilled and well-paid jobs.
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is designed to act as a “loyal wingman” for other aircraft such as the Super Hornet or E-7A Wedgetail, as well as the F-35 and the P-8 Poseidon.
Good morning
Emily Wind
Thanks to Martin for kicking things off this morning. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the blog today.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch on X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get back into it.
Wong says donors ‘need confidence’ in UNRWA
There’ll be more focus on foreign affairs minister Penny Wong today after she told ABC TV last night that she did not have the full evidence about alleged involvement of UN agency staff in the Hamas atttack of 7 October before she paused funding to the UNRWA.
But she told the 7.30 program she had spoken to agency head Philippe Lazzarini on Wednesday and would seek more information from Israel:
We recognise the importance of that organisation, which is why we’ve doubled the core funding, and I spoke with him about the various inquiries and investigations they are doing.
We spoke about ensuring that donors such as Australia can have the confidence to ensure that the pause is lifted because this is important for the people of Gaza and the people of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The primary concern is making sure that other donors, particularly those who have not provided their next round of operational funding … that that confidence can be attained before the end of the month.
Read our full story here:
Sarah Basford Canales
MPs raise ‘significant human rights concerns’ on detention regime
A Labor-chaired parliamentary human rights committee has raised “significant human rights concerns” about the tough new restrictions the federal government placed on people released from immigration detention.
In its 14th report for 2023, presented to the parliament on Wednesday, the committee noted the laws that passed last November limit a number of human rights.
Under the post-detention regime brought in by Labor after the high court’s NZYQ ruling, those released must report their location and associations to authorities, obey curfews and wear electronic monitoring ankle bracelets.
The committee said it would have raised the regime’s incompatibility with human rights and international criminal law had it been given the chance to review the bills before it was swiftly introduced and passed within weeks of the court’s ruling.
The report said:
The committee considers that the scheme generally limits the right to equality and non-discrimination, as it applies only to non-citizens and only to those who cannot be removed from Australia. The committee considers it has not been established that these measures are compatible with this right.
While presenting the report on Wednesday, chair and Labor MP Josh Burns said:
All of the bills raise significant human rights concerns, which are detailed in both these reports. The committee draws these human rights concerns to the attention of the parliament; however, as these bills have now passed into law, the committee makes no further comment in relation to them.
Leongatha quake felt in Melbourne
According to Geoscience Australia, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit Leongatha in Victoria, 135km south-east of Melbourne, at 00.49am. The epicentre was 8km deep.
There were more than 4000 “felt reports”, many of them in the city of Melbourne, concentrated on its south-eastern suburbs closest to the epicentre.
But there have been no early reports of damage as at the time of writing – 4.3 is not big in the scheme of things, there are about 10,000 quakes of about this magnitude in the world every year.
One of the unique features of this one was its location – because the city’s namesake on the other side of the world had also just felt a quake.
According to the US Geological Survey, there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake, at a depth of 10km, just off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, in the US about 10 hours earlier.
As you can imagine, much hilarity and some confusion ensued on social media.
This is bizzare. I am in Melbourne, Australia, and we also just felt an earthquake, 4.6 magnitude. Map below. Don’t be confused therefore if you get Australians responding to this also!https://t.co/FZbLWa22Sh
— 🎶 The MuSinGer 🦋 (@TheMuSinger) February 8, 2024
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind comes along to take you through the day.
First up: thousands of Melburnians have reported feeling a 4.3 magnitude earthquake that happened overnight in Leongatha, 135km to the city’s south-east. Coincidentally, it happened just hours after a quake of a similar magnitude rattled Melbourne, Florida, causing some confusion on social media. More on this soon.
In other news, it looks as though Anthony Albanese is going to have a real fight to hold on to the federal seat of Dunkley three weeks tomorrow, with Labor only just ahead of the Coalition amid a barrage of negative cost of living-related attack ads. According to a uComms poll for Australia Institute published today, Labor has its nose in front in the Victorian byelection seat of Dunkley – but only just with a lead of 52% to 48%, well down from its 56-44 lead at the 2022 election. Attack ads paid for by the rightwing lobby group Advance Australia are targeting rising prices and the release of “paedophiles” from detention as being “on Albo … it’s us versus them”.
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said she did not have all the evidence about serious allegations regarding a key United Nations agency delivering aid to Gaza before she decided to halt funding. Wong told the ABC on Thursday night that she had spoken to commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini and was working to bring an end to the suspension, including by seeking more information regarding the allegations from the agency and from the Israeli government. The Labor MP Josh Wilson broke ranks with the government, condemning Israel’s bombardment of Gaza as “unconscionable”. More on that, too, coming up.