Friday, 19 December - When I see you again

December 19, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 19 December. In your Squiz Today…

  • PM Anthony Albanese announces new hate speech laws

  • Optus releases a review into the triple-zero outage

  • And we’re going on a break - sort of…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“I sort of took my calmness from Rachel - she was very calm.”

Said NSW paramedic Mandy Fitzpatrick after she helped Queanbeyan mum Rachel Szigeti deliver her baby at home. Fitzpatrick is early in her career and had never delivered a baby before, but did a fab job - and was reunited with baby Charlie this week. A team effort…

Stamping out hate speech

The Squiz

After days of pressure from Jewish leaders and the Coalition, PM Anthony Albanese has announced new hate speech laws to crack down on preachers who promote violence. It comes after counterterrorism officials found one of the accused Bondi terror attack gunmen, Naveed Akram, was a follower of a Sydney jihadist preacher… It’s one of several reforms the government is proposing following yesterday's meeting of the National Security Committee. The PM also responded to criticism over his actions - or lack of - against antisemitism, saying “governments aren’t perfect, I’m not perfect”. He said “more could have been done, and I accept my responsibility for my part in that”.

What will they do?

You can read up here. The new legislation will build on laws overhauled in February to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, with federal offences introduced for “aggravated hate speech” and “serious vilification” of race/racist supremacy. On top of that, there will be new powers for the Home Affairs Minister to cancel/reject the visas of people who spread hate, online safety advice on antisemitism put together by the eSafety Commission, and more Holocaust and antisemitism education in schools. As for special envoy Jillian Segal’s plan, Albanese says the government will adopt her recommendations. That prompted fresh criticism that it overreaches, adding to concerns flagged 6 months ago… For her part, Segal said Albanese’s formal response was “a long time coming”, but “an important next step”.

So that’s it, then?

Not quite - they still need approval. Albanese said he’s open to recalling parliament over the summer break to get them passed, and Coalition leader Sussan Ley wants him to do that ASAP… She said Albanese hadn’t taken enough responsibility for the attack, and needed to go further on laws “to eradicate antisemitism and to strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism laws”. And something else you’ll likely hear more about today - 7 men were stopped by NSW police yesterday in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool after advice that “a violent act was possibly being planned”. Police say the operation has concluded and “at this point in time” there was no link to their current investigation into the Bondi terror attack. As for Bondi itself, parts of the crime scene have been reopened - although, with the annual NYE celebrations cancelled in the wake of the attack, the mood there will be sombre for a long time to come…

Say cheese…

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Squiz the Rest

A deadline approaches in the US

You may remember last month when the US Congress passed a bill requiring the US Justice Department to release files associated with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - well, now’s the time. Under the law, the Trump administration must release what’s called “searchable and downloadable” copies of all the files related to Epstein by tomorrow at the latest. The Epstein issue has been a thorn in the side of US President Donald Trump, who was friendly with the financier but has never been accused of any wrongdoing or involvement in Epstein’s crimes. He’s gone back and forth on whether the files should be released or not - but his hand was essentially forced after an almost completely bipartisan vote in Congress. As for what might be in them, it’s still anyone’s guess - but there’s not long before we’ll (apparently) find out…

Optus apologises, again…

…as it released a review yesterday into the fatal triple-zero outage from September, which lasted almost 14 hours, left hundreds of people unable to reach emergency services and has been associated with multiple deaths. The independent report from business veteran Kerry Schott found a stack of cultural and process problems and made 21 recommendations, including that Optus improve its training so its staff know when to send issues up the chain, and to “move the entire Optus operations centre onshore more quickly”. The Optus board has accepted every recommendation, and Chairman John Arthur has flagged job losses within the telco may come out of it, saying further action would “extend from financial penalties through to termination in appropriate cases.” So that’s something to watch going forward… 

Switching resources horses…

…is what former Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill is doing, after fellow oil and gas company BP hired her as its new chief executive. US-born O’Neill has been leading the Perth-based Woodside for 4 years, and it’s been a pretty noteworthy period, with stories like the extension of the North West Shelf project in Western Oz and currently, a major expansion into the United States. When she joins BP next year, she’ll be the first female chief executive in the company’s history. Woodside has picked Liz Westcott as its interim head while it begins the search for a permanent replacement. It’s not the only talent search the company might be embarking on in the next year or so, with chair Richard Goyder indicating he may be leaving midway through 2027. That sound you can hear is a lot of CVs being refreshed…

Expect some biffo over Snicko

The cricket technology used to decide if a batter has made contact with the ball is under heavy pressure after some controversial calls during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. The issues included Aussie keeper Alex Carey not being given out caught behind on his way to a century on day one despite likely nicking the ball, which the makers of Snicko blamed on “operator error”. Yesterday, English keeper Jamie Smith was given out caught behind, despite Snicko seeming to show a clear gap between bat and ball. Aussie bowler Mitchell Starc called it “the worst technology there is” and said it “needs to be sacked”. Nonetheless, the Aussies finished Day 2 well in control, with spinner Nathan Lyon going past retired fast bowler Glenn McGrath’s all-time wickets tally - prompting this ‘tantrum’ from McGrath…

And speaking of milestones…

Our very own pop superstar Kylie Minogue has her sights set on a title she’s never managed before - the UK’s Christmas #1 single. You might remember the race for this particular accolade was a key plot point in the 2003 film Love Actually, and over 2 decades later Kylie is taking on Wham! for the honour. The George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley duo’s song Last Christmas is in contention for its third straight year at the top of the (Christmas) tree, but Kylie’s new song XMAS - which you can listen to here - and its built-in YMCA-style dance routine is her best chance so far. We’ll find out if she takes the (flimsy paper) crown tomorrow morning - she should be so lucky…

Friday Lites - 3 things that jingled our bells

Squizers lucky enough to have a break coming up might be keen to catch up on some of the entertainment you’ve missed, so we’re here to help: Here are some lists of the best movies, TV shows, books and albums of 2025. Plenty to be getting on with…

On the flipside, it’s also a good time of year to have things to look forward to, and we’ve got you covered - with lists of the most anticipated movies, TV series, books and albums to whet your appetite for the year in entertainment to come. It looks like a good one…

And it’d be remiss of us not to point you to a Christmas recipe for our last Friday Lites of 2025 - the late Skye Gyngell’s roast beef with horseradish cream is a classic. We’re also sending out our favourite recipes of the year in a newsletter on Saturday, so keep an eye on your inbox…

So, where to from here?

We’re glad you asked… We’re taking a break for a couple of weeks - we’ll be back on Monday, 5 January. And breathe…

But it’s not the last time you’ll hear from us in 2025… We’ve got a special newsletter with our best recipes going out tomorrow. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious. We’re also pulling together our best reading/listening/watching reccos too, so keep an eye on your inbox.

For podcast listeners, there will be episodes with a monthly recap of the year pretty much every day of the break, so you won’t miss our lovely voices.

And our annual tradition is back - this year’s episode of The Great Big Squiz Quiz will be in your Squiz Today podcast feed on Sunday morning. Go up against your people or go solo with our 20 questions - it’s a lot of fun.

All that’s left to say is have a wonderful Christmas and terrific New Year. You’re simply the best - stay safe and see you in 2026…

Squiz the Day

Friday
🏝️ The Squiz Today team finishes up for the year (we’ll be back on 5 January…)

10.00am (AEDT) - A funeral will be held for Bondi terror attack victims Boris and Sofia Gurman. Witnesses say the couple tried to disarm the 2 gunmen before they began their shooting rampage - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - A sentence will be handed down to Paul Sultana who was found guilty of murdering 28yo Dayna Isaac in 2023 - Sydney 

The public consultation period for the News Media Bargaining Code closes

ABS Data releases: Overseas Migration, 2024-2025; Labour Force, 1982-2025; Deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia, November 2025

It's the last day of school for kids in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia

Saint Nicholas Day in Eastern Christian countries 

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal’s birthday (1980)

Anniversary of:

  • the release of Charles Dickens’ Yuletide tale A Christmas Carol in Britain (1843)

  • the death of author Emily Brontë (1848)

  • the first radio broadcast from space - US President Eisenhower sent a Christmas message (1958)

  • the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration to transfer Hong Kong back to China in 1997 (1984)

  • the impeachment of US President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice (1998)

🎁 And it's 6 days until Christmas…

Saturday
1.00pm (AEDT) - Carols in the Domain - Sydney

Anniversary of:

  • the publication of Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812)

  • the premiere of Christmas classic flick It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

  • Queen Elizabeth II becoming the oldest ever British monarch when she surpassed Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days (2007)

🎄 And it's 5 days until Christmas…

Sunday
2.00pm (AEDT) - A rally and march will be held in memory of the Bondi terror attack victims - beginning in Hyde Park, Sydney

6.00pm (AEDT) - A memorial service will be held at Parliament House for the victims of the Bondi terror attack - Canberra

Yule begins (on until 1 January) - and here are some tips on how to celebrate it 

Gravy Day - according to Paul Kelly... 

Birthdays for actor Samuel L Jackson (1948) and French President Emmanuel Macron (1977)

Anniversary of:

  • scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovering radium (1898)

  • the premiere of the first full-length animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

  • PM Gough Whitlam formally recognising and establishing diplomatic relations with China (1972)

  • Psy's pop hit Gangnam Style becoming the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube (2012)

🎅 And it's 4 days until Christmas...