Friday, 28 March - Here it goes again

March 28, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 28 March. In your Squiz Today…

  • The election’s likely to be called this morning

  • Queensland needs a bunch of construction workers

  • And time to get down in the dumplings

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Squiz the Weather

Before we get into it, we have a target to hit…

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Squiz Sayings

“I was having a spiritual experience, man. I just knew where that money was."

Said Aussie model and reality TV veteran David Genat after winning $9.1 million - the largest cash prize in US network TV history - on Deal or No Deal Island (Deal or No Deal meets Survivor). Genat is a Survivor regular, learning skills he put to good - and very lucrative - use…

It’s on like Donkey Kong

The Squiz

You know us - we’re not drama queens eager to speculate on speculation. But all signs point to PM Anthony Albanese heading to see Governor-General Sam Mostyn this morning at Government House in Yarralumla to call an election for Saturday, 3 May. The media started reporting the plan around lunchtime yesterday, and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet only boosted that by posting, and then hastily deleting, about the government going into caretaker mode - which is what you do when you call an election. Whoopsies… And the Coalition edged closer to the starting line last night with Peter Dutton outlining his alternative Federal Budget, including cheaper petrol, better access to gas, and lower immigration targets.

What’s the state of play?

It’s a race to 76 seats to form a government - that’s a majority in what will be a 150-seat House of Representatives next term. After some changes to electoral boundaries, Labor is sitting at 78 seats, the Liberal/Nationals Coalition have 57, and the minor parties/independents have 15. What all those numbers mean is that a 1% swing against Labor will see it lose its majority. The Coalition has been doing better in the polls, but it would need a big swing of about 5.3% towards it to claim government in its own right. If neither party gets to the magic number, they’ll need to work with minor parties/independents to form a minority government. That’s what the polls say is the likely result this time around, but they’ve been wrong before…

What happens after the election is called?

If it is called today, that will mean a brisk 5-week campaign, during which you can expect a barrage of political advertising, big promises and the occasional debate. As far as the big topics go, expect cost-of-living, housing, crime and climate to all get a prominent airing. And after the campaigning, there’s the actual voting part - while the House of Reps decides government, the Senate will be important as well - you can practice your voting skills at the AEC website, in case you want to really spice up your weekend. And to ensure you can vote smoothly, here’s a link to the electoral roll so you can enjoy a stress-free democracy snack at the voting booth…

Your fresh market update…

At The Squiz, we’re all about giving you the useful stuff. So, we’ve teamed up with Woolies to share their top weekly fruit and veg picks. Here’s what to grab this week:

🍎 Jazz apples - They’re crunchy, sweet, and make the perfect snack…

🍐 Pears - New season pears are in good supply, and they’re fab for autumn baking.

🌽 Sweet corn - Pro tip: Remember to look for bright green husks when choosing.

Squiz the Rest

A disaster in the Red Sea

Egyptian authorities are investigating how a submarine designed for tourists sank near the resort city of Hurghada. Of the 50 passengers and crew on board, the local government has confirmed at least 6 tourists - all Russian citizens - have died, and several more people have been injured. The submarine - nicknamed Sindbad - is what's called a "viewing submarine", which lets tourists take a good look at the area's marine life by diving 25m below sea level. The Red Sea is a popular tourist spot and is important to Egypt's tourism industry - but after a series of accidents in recent years, the UK Government has warned the industry's safety standards might not be up to scratch.

The leaks pile up

Another day, another development in the scandal over US security officials accidentally looping a journalist in on a group chat… The exact messages between White House officials have now been leaked, and experts say they outline “highly classified” military plans. That’s notable because it goes against testimonies from those involved that no classified details were shared. The US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz - who’s taken responsibility for adding The Atlantic’s editor to the chat - is still to explain how it happened. US President Donald Trump called the fallout over the scandal a “witch hunt” - and a lawsuit has been filed against 5 of the Cabinet members involved, so it’s not going away anytime soon…

A workforce fit for a Queensland

Days after Queensland Premier David Crisfaulli shared plans for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, we’ve now got an idea of how many construction workers will be needed to pull off the massive infrastructure projects… Building experts say the plans - which you can dig into in detail here - will need 30-40,000 workers each year to meet the deadlines. Master Builders Queensland boss Paul Bidwell says construction workers are especially crucial… He says the 285,000 already working in the Sunshine State are stretched thin on current projects, meaning the industry will be under "enormous pressure". And that's without factoring in the legal battles brewing over some of Crisafulli's announcements…

*If you want to learn more about the 2032 Brisbane Olympic plans, this Squiz Shortcut will get you up to speed.

A new meaning to dragging your feet

You’re not alone if you find the minutes drag out as you’re counting down to the end of a workout - a new study has found time can get a little warped when we’re doing high-intensity exercise. Andrew Edwards, a psychology professor at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK, says researchers found “people perceive time as moving more slowly during exercise”, with adults who took part in 4km cycling trials for the study overestimating how long they’d been pedalling by about 10%. Edwards reckons the “distortion may affect … the enjoyment of physical activity”, but the way to distract yourself from the intensity is by making it a competition against others or listening to music. The Time Warp seems appropriate…

That’s a lot of superheroes

The next film in the Avengers franchise, subtitled Doomsday, is set to be released next year, and Marvel has dropped a cast list that goes on… and on… A whopping 27 cast members were revealed in a video that initially ran over 5 hours - here’s the 2-minute version. Names include our own Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh and former Iron Man Robert Downey Jr, who will be the villain Doctor Doom this time around. Doomsday is a high-stakes project, as the most recent Avengers movie, Endgame, is the second-highest-grossing film of all time - but since its release, Marvel’s been on a bit of a cold streak. Box office and critical reaction have dropped, so both the studio - and struggling cinema owners around the world - are pretty keen on this being a hit…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Calling all dumpling lovers: we’re onboard the crispy rice paper dumpling trend train that has taken off on - where else - TikTok. This pork, carrot and cabbage recipe from Marion Grasby is tasty and easy - once you get the hang of handling/shaping the rice paper…

Aussie actor Naomi Watts has a new movie coming out called The Friend, and while we haven’t seen it yet, we were quite taken with this video of her performing a duet with her co-star. Mainly because her co-star is a 68kg Great Dane called Bing, and he’s got quite the singing voice…

If you’re looking for some light and easy fun over the weekend, the board game Wavelength is one of our favourites. With few rules, it's easy to learn and involves guessing how your teammates feel about certain topics, like Titanic - best film ever or worst film ever? Get ready for some interesting revelations…

Squiz the Day

Friday
10:00am (AEDT) - Justice Ian Harrison is due to sentence former police officer Kristian White, who was found guilty of manslaughter after tasering 95yo dementia patient Clare Nowland at her Cooma nursing home - Sydney

1:25pm (AEDT) - Rugby: Start of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament (until 30 March) - Hong Kong, and watch on Stan Sport

ABS data release - Preschool Education, 2024

🎩 Heads up, it’s Wear a Hat Day

Birthdays for actors Vince Vaughn (1970) and Julia Stiles (1981), and singer Lady Gaga (1986)

Anniversary of:

  • the Louvre being opened to the public in Paris (1794)

  • the end of the Spanish Civil War (1939)

  • the death of Virginia Woolf (1941)

  • the world's largest dinosaur footprint found in Western Australia (2017)

Saturday
5.30pm (AEDT) - Athletics: Aussie track stars (including Gout Gout attempting to make his sub-20 second record in the 200m official) will feature at the Maurie Plant Meet - Melbourne, watch on Channel Seven

Look up tonight - a Super New Moon is due

 🎹 Piano Day

Birthdays for model Elle Macpherson (1964), and actor Lucy Lawless (1968)

Anniversary of:

  • the official opening of Royal Albert Hall by Queen Victoria (1871)

  • Australia’s first federal election leading to Edmund Barton being elected Prime Minister (1901)

  • Nelson Mandela being acquitted of treason (1961)

  • the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors in Xian, China (1974)

Sunday
6.00am (AEDT) - MotoGP: Grand Prix of the Americas - Texas, US, and watch on Foxtel

10.00am (ACDT) - Cricket: Sheffield Shield Final Day 5 decider between South Australia and Queensland - Adelaide, and watch on Kayo 

Eid al Fitr begins, marking the end of Ramadan (until 31 March)

Ugadi (Telugu New Year on the Hindu Calendar)

Birthdays for singer Eric Clapton (1945), rapper MC Hammer (1962), and singer Celine Dion (1968)

Anniversary of:

  • the US buying Alaska from Russia (1867)

  • US President Ronald Reagan being shot and wounded in an assassination attempt (1981)

  • the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (2002)