Friday, 28 November - I'm movin' out

November 28, 2025

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

  • Barnaby Joyce quits the Nats on a big last sitting day of federal parliament

  • It’s Groundhog Day in the AFLW Grand Final tomorrow night

  • And an easy-peasy peanut noodle recipe 🍜

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

”If someone had told me back in February 1995 when I walked through the doors of Seven Melbourne for my first day that 30 years later I’d still be doing the job I love, I wouldn’t have believed them.”

Said long-serving Sunrise sports anchor Mark Beretta, announcing he’ll leave the show after a 22-year stint. Beretta said after a tough year of family health battles, he’s going to take some time away - and let’s face it, the bloke also deserves a sleep-in…

Team Albo gets its NEPA baby

The Squiz

The Albanese Government has made a deal with the Greens to revamp our environmental protection laws, just in the nick of time.... The Senate passed the changes on the last sitting day of federal parliament, and the idea is that they’ll better protect the environment while also removing red tape around approving new projects. They’ll include the government setting up its long-promised National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) and a $300 million forestry growth fund. In return for the Greens’ support, Team Albo has agreed to protect our native forests more quickly and prevent coal and gas projects from being fast-tracked.

So everyone’s happy…

Well, no - Coalition leader Sussan Ley called it a “dirty deal” and questioned why the government didn't agree to its suite of more business-friendly changes. But PM Anthony Albanese praised the Greens for being more willing to make a deal - he said Ley had rejected his request to negotiate in person. The changes were signed off on the same day as the government, and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen in particular, is under pressure over our emissions reduction targets. Despite a 2.2% drop in greenhouse gas emissions over the year to June 2025 - the biggest since the pandemic era -  we’re on track to miss our 2030 goal and fall way short of our 2035 goal. Bowen says there’s more work to do, but the Coalition says it’s evidence that the government has set unrealistic targets in the first place.

So not everyone’s happy…

Especially not the Nationals, after their former leader Barnaby Joyce officially resigned from the party - but he hasn’t joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation just yet... Joyce’s resignation has been in the wind for weeks, but Canberra analysts sensed a switch might be on when he and Hanson shared a couple of sandwich-pressed steaks this week… However, Joyce said he’s becoming an independent for now, but he’ll finish up as the MP for New England (and might make a Senate run) at the next election. He said he’s quitting the Nats because they’ve pushed him to leave, but his colleagues are livid - Senator Matt Canavan queried whether “this move from Barnaby is about the Australian people, or is it about himself?”. It’s cricket season, so we’ll borrow a line from the great commentator Bill Lawry - it’s all happening…

For more background into the debate over our environmental protection laws, check out our Squiz Shortcut…

Keeping little ones cool this summer

Those with little ones (or shopping for them) know the drill - summer heat plus kids equals constant outfit changes and cranky wake ups. Love to Dream's new bamboo range tackles both. The fabric is clever - it stretches with every move, making the what-time-is-it nappy changes less of a wrestling match, and the bamboo in it helps with sweaty backs for a better sleep all round. The range covers everything from bodysuits to PJs, and they've built them to survive your washing machine's heavy rotation. Worth bookmarking for baby shower gifts too... Check the collection out here.

Squiz the Rest

Arrests made after the Hong Kong blaze

This is the one that’s burned through several high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, which officials say is now “basically under control”. The death toll has risen to at least 75 - the deadliest for Hong Kong in more than a century - and at least another 270 people are still missing. And while rescue efforts continue, police have arrested a trio of men - 2 directors and an engineering consultant - from the construction company that has been renovating the towers. They’ve been accused of “gross negligence” after investigators raised suspicions that the fire was fuelled by bamboo scaffolding outside, and netting, film and styrofoam sealing the windows on the inside - materials that don’t meet Hong Kong’s safety standards.

A morning swim turns deadly

A woman in her 20s was the victim of a shark attack on the NSW Mid North Coast early yesterday, while a man known to her, also in his 20s, has been left in critical condition in hospital. The Swiss nationals were out for a swim at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, about 50km south of Port Macquarie, just before 6.30am when it happened… Bystanders have been praised for quickly jumping into action, with one creating a makeshift tourniquet for the man’s leg on the beach - something authorities say likely saved his life. But despite their efforts, the woman was unable to be saved and died before paramedics arrived. The beach has since been closed as experts from the Department of Primary Industries use drones to search for the “large bull shark” involved.

Cracking down on home loans

This is from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which has announced it will limit high-debt-to-income home loans. It’ll do that by capping the number of loans banks can approve, where the total amount borrowed exceeds 6 times the borrower’s annual household income. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it would “help with financial resilience” - particularly as we’ve been seeing steep increases in property prices/lending growth. Highlighting that: a recent report saying a typical household in Oz needs to spend nearly half of its pre-tax pay to service an average mortgage… But critics, like Greens Senator Barbara Pocock, say it should go further - that “APRA must use all the tools in their toolbox to rein in investor lending that is exacerbating the housing affordability crisis”.

It’s Groundhog Day in the AFLW…

…as league heavyweights Brisbane Lions and North Melbourne Kangaroos will face off in the Grand Final for the third time on the trot. The 2 sides have claimed one GF each so far, but the Roos will head into tomorrow night’s game at Ikon Park in Melbourne as heavy favourites as they’ve won a record-breaking 26 games in a row. Having this year’s best and fairest winner Ash Riddell and fellow superstar/captain Jasmine Garner on the list helps with that... The duo might be causing a sleepless night for a few Lions tonight, but on the flip side, they’ve got a few stars themselves - and if they win tomorrow, it’ll be a clean sweep of the NRL, AFL, NRLW and AFLW premierships for the Queensland capital…

It’s that time of year…

The Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend is upon us - and it’s projected to break records, with Aussies tipped to spend $6.8 billion. That’s from Roy Morgan and Australian Retailers Association (ARA) research, and it’s 4% up on 2024… ARA’s Fleur Brown says the growing participation in Black Friday is partly driven by the state of the economy, with shoppers seeking sales for Christmas shopping. But consumer debt is also on the rise, prompting financial counsellors to say don’t feel pressured to spend… That’s not the only warning - the consumer watchdog says it’s watching for so-called “ghost stores” selling imitation products/not delivering items at all. And finally, if you are in the market for a bargain, the good people at Choice have a cheatsheet to the best/worst sales. You’re welcome…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Quick and easy are words we appreciate here at Squiz HQ, and these creamy coconut peanut noodles hit the spot on both fronts, while also being very moreish. One to skip if you have any nut allergies/aversions, but if not - they’re a crowd-pleaser…

With all the hoopla around Wicked: For Good at the moment, you might be wondering if it’s actually worth a watch… Here’s a wrap-up of the reviews, but our humble thoughts are that while it's not as brilliant as the first, this cast (and their voices) are still top-notch… 

Do yourself a favour and listen to this episode of Double J’s Take 5 featuring author Trent Dalton. It’s one of host Zan Rowe’s best interviews - come for Dalton, stay for some Pearl Jam, leave with his musings on Powderfinger and Taylor Swift. A ripper weekend listen…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEDT) - A public hearing will be held at Parliament House as part of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee’s Inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector - Canberra

9.15am (AEDT) - Closing oral submissions will be delivered to conclude the inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack in April 2024 - Sydney 

9.30am (AEDT) - A case management hearing will take place at the Federal Court in the ACCC’s case against Coles and Woolworths over misleading consumers through discount pricing claims  - Melbourne 

10.00am (AEDT) - The final verdict will be handed down for police sergeant Benedict Bryant charged with the death of 16yo Jai Wright - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - Walk against family violence at the Treasury Gardens - Melbourne

8.00am (AWST) - A case management hearing will begin at the Supreme Court of Western Australia in the legal battle over Virginia Giuffre’s multimillion-dollar estate - Perth 

1.45pm (AEDT) - Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill will speak at a CEDA event on the future of international students in Australia - online

7.30pm (AEDT) - Football: Matildas v New Zealand in Women's international friendly at Polytec Stadium - Gosford, watch on Paramount+

7.30pm (AEDT) - Basketball: Australia v Tall Blacks New Zealand in the Men's 2027 World Cup qualifier at MyState Bank Arena - Hobart, watch on Kayo

ABS data releases: Deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia, October 2025; Provisional Mortality Statistics, Jan-Aug 2025 

Black Friday - find some deals on this cheat sheet

Independence Day in Albania, Panama and Mauritania

A birthday for composer Randy Newman (1943), and actors Colman Domingo (1969) and Karen Gillan (1987)

Anniversary of:

  • women voting in a national election for the first time, in New Zealand's general election (1893)

  • the deaths of author Enid Blyton (1968) and artist Sidney Nolan (1992)

  • Margaret Thatcher stepping down as PM of the UK (1990)

Saturday
8.00am (AEST) - Voting opens for the Hinchinbrook Queensland by-election - Hinchinbrook 

9.00am (AEDT) - Climate activist group Rising Tide will institute a blockade of Australia's largest coal port, the Port of Newcastle - Newcastle

2.20pm (AEDT) - Cricket: Prime Minister's XI v England men's tour game 1 at Manuka Oval - Canberra, watch on Kayo

12.00pm (AWST) - Horse racing: The Winterbottom Stakes gets underway at Ascot Racecourse - Perth 

7.45pm (AEDT) - Aussie Rules: North Melbourne v Brisbane in the AFLW Grand Final at Ikon Park - Melbourne, watch on 7+

Birthdays for philanthropist Janet Holmes à Court (1943), songwriter Don Walker (1951) and actors Don Cheadle (1964) and Anna Faris (1976) 

Anniversary of:

  • the birthdays of authors Louisa May Alcott (1832) and CS Lewis (1898), and actors Diane Ladd (1935) and Chadwick Boseman (1976)

  • physicist Erwin Schrödinger publishing his famous thought experiment 'Schrödinger's cat' (1935)

  • the release of the first commercially successful video game, Pong (1972)

  • the deaths of actors Natalie Wood (1981) and Cary Grant (1986), and Beatle George Harrison (2001)

  • the release of Adele's single Rolling in the Deep (2010)

  • PM Anthony Albanese delivering a national apology to survivors of the drug thalidomide and their families (2023)

Sunday
10.00am (AEDT) - Melbourne's new metro tunnel will open, with trains stopping at all 5 new stations - Melbourne

10.00am (ACDT) - Supercars: Adelaide 500 Championship - Adelaide, watch on 7+

2.40pm (AEDT) - Cricket: Prime Minister's XI v England men's tour game 2 at Manuka Oval - Canberra, watch on Kayo

Pope Leo continues his first trip since his election in May and heads to Lebanon.  

Honduras will hold vote in a general election

Independence Day in Yemen and Barbados

A birthday for Chrissy Teigen (1985), YouTuber Ms Rachel (1982), chess player Magnus Carlsen (1990)  

Anniversary of:

  • the birthday of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874) 

  • the release of Michael Jackson's album Thriller (1982)

  • the premiere of the film Schindler's List (1993)

  • the death of former US President George HW Bush (2018) 

Monday
3.00am (AEDT) - F1: The Qatar Grand Prix race gets underway at the Lusail International Circuit - Qatar, watch on Kayo