Defence Minister Richard Marles sidestepped questions about whether permanent residents from autocracies such as China would be allowed to serve in the ADF.
Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the remote scene of Papua New Guinea’s mass-casualty disaster.
The death toll in Papua New Guinea is expected to rise following a catastrophic landslide that destroyed a village in remote Enga province.
The PNG Post Courier reported the increased death toll and said 1182 houses were destroyed,citing an MP. At least six villages were affected,Australian officials said.
More than 50 homes,many with people still asleep inside,were buried when the landslide hit Kaokalam village around 3am.
I joined Anthony Albanese for his Kokoda Track walk. It was a moment in history. A sitting Australian prime minister had never walked it before. Neither had a PNG prime minister.
After two days climbing the muddy path through the mountains of PNG,Albanese and Marape marked the dawn service at the Isurava battlefield memorial.
Prime Minister James Marape said the 1942 Kokoda campaign set a precedent for close military co-operation between the two nations.
It’s a party on wheels.
Anthony Albanese said the thing that had most struck him along the walk was the formidable conditions Australian and PNG soldiers encountered during World War II.
The prime minister received an energy boost along the way from his favourite sweet:a bag of liquorice Black Cats,which he shared with fellow walkers.